Kaempferol ameliorates in-vitro and in-vivo postovulatory oocyte ageing in mice.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Does kaempferol alleviate postovulatory oocyte ageing, thereby maintaining their early embryonic development capacity? DESIGN: The effects of kaempferol on postovulatory ageing were investigated in vitro and in vivo by short-term kaempferol administration (mature oocytes were cultured in a kaempferol-containing medium for 12 h; mice were intragastrically administered with the appropriate amount of kaempferol for 21 days). Spindle morphology and chromosome alignment, levels of oxidative stress and the gap junction were assessed by immunofluorescence. Fertilization ability and early embryonic development ability of each oocyte group was detected by IVF. Fertilization of the ageing oocyte model was used to explore whether kaempferol could improve adverse pregnancy outcome. RNA-sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to identify the cellular pathways through which kaempferol relieves postovulatory oocyte ageing in vivo. RESULTS: Kaempferol administration altered various processes in the ageing oocytes, including oxidative stress, the peroxisome, TNF signalling, cAMP signalling and the gap junction pathway. Expression of several important genes, such as Sirt1, Mapk1, Ampk and Foxo3, was regulated. Moreover, kaempferol ameliorated adverse pregnancy outcomes of fertilized ageing oocytes. IVF results indicate that kaempferol could partially counteract the effects of oocyte ageing on fertilization capacity (pronucleus: kaempferol, 69.08 ± 2.37% versus aged, 38.95 ± 3.58%) and early embryonic development (blastocyst: kaempferol, 50.02 ± 3.34% versus aged, 30.83 ± 5.46%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that kaempferol may be a potent natural antioxidant, have implications for animal husbandry and may help improve the success rate of IVF and ICSI. Further clinical trials are needed.

[The regulation of ubiquitination in milk fat synthesis in bovine].

Ubiquitination signaling is the main pathway of protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. Ubiquitin-proteasome system degrades the ubiquitinated cytoplasmic proteins and lysosome pathway mainly degrades the ubiquitinated membrane proteins. Previous studies have shown that ubiquitination signaling plays a critical role in fatty acids synthesis. In the process of fatty acids import, disruption of ubiquitination could prevent the degradation of fatty acid transport proteins, thereby promoting fatty acids import and milk fat synthesis in bovine primary mammary epithelial cells. In this review, we summarize the signal transduction and regulation mechanism of ubiquitination signaling in milk fat synthesis, which may provide references and new ideas for future research on milk fat traits in dairy cows.

Di(n-butyl) phthalate exposure impairs meiotic competence and development of mouse oocyte.

Di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) is extensively used in industrial applications as plasticizer and stabilizer and its presence in the environment may present health risks for human. Previous studies have demonstrated its mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic ability. However, its effect on mammalian oocyte maturation remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effect of DBP on oocyte maturation both in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that DBP could significantly reduce mice oocyte germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and polar body extrusion (PBE) rates. In addition, oocyte cytoskeleton was damaged and cortical granule-free domains (CGFDs) were also disrupted. Finally, DBP induced early apoptosis of oocyte and granulosa cells (GCs). Collectively, these data demonstrate that DBP could reduce meiosis competence and mouse oocyte development.

[Regulation of VPS28 gene knockdown on the milk fat synthesis in Chinese Holstein dairy].

In a previous genome-wide association study on milk production traits in Chinese Holstein population, we discovered VPS28 gene was highly expressed in mammary gland tissue. Further, a -58C>T mutantion at the 5°-UTR of the gene was significantly associated with milk fat content traits. However, its regulation on milk fat content is still uncertain. In this study, we explored the effect of this -58C>T mutation on VPS28, and found that it could significantly reduce promoter activity of VPS28 gene. To identify the potential function of this SNP, we performed RNAi experiments to knockdown VPS28 gene in BMECs and examined the general effects of VPS28 knockdown on BMECs. The results showed that VPS28 knockdown could decrease the mRNA expression of genes in ubiquitination-lysosome and ubiquitination- proteasome pathways, increase the mRNA expression of genes in milk fat synthesis pathway and promote triglyceride synthesis in BMECs. Our data indicate that VPS28 gene could regulate milk fat synthesis pathway; and promote triglyceride synthesis in BMECs. Our data indicate that VPS28 gene could regulate milk fat synthesis through modulating the ubiquitination-lysosome and ubiquitination-proteasome systems. Our results demonstrate the molecular mechanism of VPS28 on regulation of milk synthesis in dairy cattle through the ubiquitination signaling pathway, thereby supporting a relationship between milk fat synthesis and ubiquitination and laying the molecular foundation in breeding of dairy cattle in the future.

[Spring food selection by Rhinopithecus bieti at Mt. Lasha in relation to phytochemical components].

Food selection by folivorous primates is thought to relate to macronutrients, micronutrients and plant secondary metabolites. However, few studies explain their effects on food choices. This study was designed to clarify the effect of phytochemical components on Rhinopithecus bieti food choice by analyzing the chemical composition of food samples collected from March to May in 2010 and 2011 at Mt. Lasha in northwest Yunnan, China. Compared with non-foods, there was more phosphorous and crude protein, less total sugar and a lower ratio of calcium to phosphorus in selected foods. However, no differences were found in crude fat, crude ash, calcium and tannin content between foods and non-foods. Phytochemical constituents may influence food choices; the monkeys preferred foods with high phosphorus and low Ca/P, low calcium, low sugar and low tannins. Rhinopithecus bieti foraged high quality foods such as buds and young leaves to meet their nutritional needs after a long winter. Therefore, if tannin content in food did not exceed the enduring threshold of R. bieti, the nutrient intake was prioritized by phosphorus and calcium regulation when the need for macronutrients dominated by protein was satisfied.