Detrimental Effects of Microgravity on Mouse Preimplantation Development In Vitro

Sustaining life beyond Earth either on space stations or on other planets will require a clear understanding of how the space environment affects key phases of mammalian reproduction. However, because of the difficulty of doing such experiments in mammals, most studies of reproduction in space have been carried out with other taxa, such as sea urchins, fish, amphibians or birds. Here, we studied the possibility of mammalian fertilization and preimplantation development under microgravity (µG) conditions using a three-dimensional (3D) clinostat, which faithfully simulates 10^–3 G using 3D rotation. Fertilization occurred normally in vitro under µG. However, although we obtained 75 healthy offspring from µG-fertilized and -cultured embryos after transfer to recipient females, the birth rate was lower than among the 1G controls. Immunostaining demonstrated that in vitro culture under µG caused slower development and fewer trophectoderm cells than in 1G controls but did not affect polarization of the blastocyst. These results suggest for the first time that fertilization can occur normally under µG environment in a mammal, but normal preimplantation embryo development might require 1G.     

Simulated Microgravity Compromises Mouse Oocyte Maturation by Disrupting Meiotic Spindle Organization and Inducing Cytoplasmic Blebbing

In the present study, we discovered that mouse oocyte maturation was inhibited by simulated microgravity via disturbing spindle organization. We cultured mouse oocytes under microgravity condition simulated by NASA''s rotary cell culture system, examined the maturation rate and observed the spindle morphology (organization of cytoskeleton) during the mouse oocytes meiotic maturation. While the rate of germinal vesicle breakdown did not differ between 1 g gravity and simulated microgravity, rate of oocyte maturation decreased significantly in simulated microgravity. The rate of maturation was 8.94% in simulated microgravity and was 73.0% in 1 g gravity. The results show that the maturation of mouse oocytes in vitro was inhibited by the simulated microgravity. The spindle morphology observation shows that the microtubules and chromosomes can not form a complete spindle during oocyte meiotic maturation under simulated microgravity. And the disorder of γ-tubulin may partially result in disorganization of microtubules under simulated microgravity. These observations suggest that the meiotic spindle organization is gravity dependent. Although the spindle organization was disrupted by simulated microgravity, the function and organization of microfilaments were not pronouncedly affected by simulated microgravity. And we found that simulated microgravity induced oocytes cytoplasmic blebbing via an unknown mechanism. Transmission electron microscope detection showed that the components of the blebs were identified with the cytoplasm. Collectively, these results indicated that the simulated microgravity inhibits mouse oocyte maturation via disturbing spindle organization and inducing cytoplasmic blebbing.     

水牛腔前卵泡的体外培养方法

本研究旨在建立一套适合水牛腔前卵泡体外生长发育的培养体系.取用来自本地屠宰场的中国沼泽型水牛卵巢,采用梳刮法回收腔前卵泡,以McCoys 5a作为基础培养液,分别用微孔板培养法、二维培养法、三维培养法进行体外培养.结果表明:不同培养方法对水牛腔前卵泡的体外发育能力有显著差异.培养至10 d,三维培养法的卵泡存活率显著高于微孔板培养法和二维培养法的卵泡存活率(65.05% vs 33.08%,49.52%,P<0.05);二维培养法的卵泡成腔率为1.91%(2/105),三维培养法的卵泡成腔率为1.94%(2/103),而微孔培养法的卵泡未发现成腔;三维培养法的卵泡直径平均增长显著高于微孔板培养法和二维培养法的卵泡直径增长(13.03±5.37 μm vs 7.53±2.26 μm,10.27±4.24 μm,P<0.05).由此可见,三维培养法是水牛腔前卵泡的有效体外培养方法.     

Proteomic Analysis of Mouse Hypothalamus under Simulated Microgravity

Exposure to altered microgravity during space travel induces changes in the brain and these are reflected in many of the physical behavior seen in the astronauts. The vulnerability of the brain to microgravity stress has been reviewed and reported. Identifying microgravity-induced changes in the brain proteome may aid in understanding the impact of the microgravity environment on brain function. In our previous study we have reported changes in specific proteins under simulated microgravity in the hippocampus using proteomics approach. In the present study the profiling of the hypothalamus region in the brain was studied as a step towards exploring the effect of microgravity in this region of the brain. Hypothalamus is the critical region in the brain that strictly controls the pituitary gland that in turn is responsible for the secretion of important hormones. Here we report a 2-dimensional gel electrophoretic analysis of the mouse hypothalamus in response to simulated microgravity. Lowered glutathione and differences in abundance expression of seven proteins were detected in the hypothalamus of mice exposed to microgravity. These changes included decreased superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD-2) and increased malate dehydrogenase and peroxiredoxin-6, reflecting reduction of the antioxidant system in the hypothalamus. Taken together the results reported here indicate that oxidative imbalance occurred in the hypothalamus in response to simulated microgravity.     

FSH对腔前卵泡生长发育的影响

随着腔前卵泡体外培养体系的发展,对其影响因子的研究也逐渐深入,促性腺激素(FSH)在卵泡的生长和发育过程中发挥了重要的作用。本实验方法是以昆明小鼠为模型,机械分离并选择120~140μm的腔前卵泡,以添加10%血清和1%ITS的α-MEM为基础培养,分为正常添加FSH和不添加FSH组,以及在培养的0 d、2 d、4 d、6d、8 d添加FSH(100 mIU/ml)组,探讨腔前卵泡的生长发育情况。结果表明:正常添加组其卵泡的存活率、出腔率、GVBD率和2-cell胚胎率(78.7%、55.0%、35.0%和7.5%)显著高于培养液中未添加FSH的结果(分别为13.7%、8.8%、6.3%和0)(P<0.05);6 d之前添加FSH的培养组腔前卵泡能够正常生长和发育;2~4 d添加FSH可能更利于卵母细胞的成熟,以及E2的产生依赖于FSH的存在。     

Primary Culture of the Mouse Subcommissural Organ In Vitro*

Explants of adult mouse subcommissural organs were subjected to primary tissue culture on a feeder layer prepared from mouse embryonic fibroblasts. The explants quickly anchored and developed into three tissue types: (i) cystic explants. (ii) solid explants, and (iii) subcolonies. Secretory material was localized immunocytochemically in all of these three types of specimens. Electron microscopical investigations support the idea that a discharge of secretory material takes place into the culture medium.     

小鼠胚胎卵巢卵泡体外无血清培养体系的建立(英文)

调节原始卵泡形成、起始生长的信号目前仍知之甚少。一个重要的原因就是缺乏一个良好的研究模型。我们以妊娠１３天昆明白小鼠胚胎卵巢为研究材料,经过５天的贴壁培养后,分别用牛血清（ＦＢＳ）、无血清（ＩＴＳ）和含有人卵泡刺激素（ＦＳＨ－ＩＴＳ）培养液继续体外培养到第１９天,发现ＩＴＳ组培养的胚胎卵巢卵泡发育要显著优于ＦＢＳ组（Ｐ＜０．０１）,如：培养至第７天时（Ｐ１,相当于出生日）,卵泡数分别为２９５±１８和 ２０６±１７;培养至第１３天时（Ｐ７）,卵泡数分别为 ５９４±３１和 ２６２±２８;培养至第１９天时（Ｐ１３）,卵泡数分别为 ３７１±２５和 ５０±１１（Ｆｉｇ．１,２＆４）。ＩＴＳ处理组的绝大部分卵巢在培养早期（如：Ｐ５前）都形成了皮质－髓质样的卵泡生长模式,而ＦＢＳ处理组超过半数卵巢不能形成皮质一髓质样的卵泡生长模式;ＦＳＨ－ＩＴＳ处理组和ＩＴＳ处理组的胚胎卵巢卵泡发育并无显著差异（Ｆｉｇ．２,４＆５）。 结果提示所建立的以ＩＴＳ为血清替代物的无血清培养模型更益于小鼠胚胎卵巢卵泡的体外发育;ｈＦＳＨ不是小鼠胚胎卵巢早期发生发育所必须的。     

Culture and Co-Culture of Mouse Ovaries and Ovarian Follicles

The mammalian ovary is composed of ovarian follicles, each follicle consisting of a single oocyte surrounded by somatic granulosa cells, enclosed together within a basement membrane. A finite pool of follicles is laid down during embryonic development, when oocytes in meiotic arrest form a close association with flattened granulosa cells, forming primordial follicles. By or shortly after birth, mammalian ovaries contain their lifetime’s supply of primordial follicles, from which point onwards there is a steady release of follicles into the growing follicular pool.The ovary is particularly amenable to development in vitro, with follicles growing in a highly physiological manner in culture. This work describes the culture of whole neonatal ovaries containing primordial follicles, and the culture of individual ovarian follicles, a method which can support the development of follicles from an immature through to the preovulatory stage, after which their oocytes are able to undergo fertilization in vitro. The work outlined here uses culture systems to determine how the ovary is affected by exposure to external compounds. We also describe a co-culture system, which allows investigation of the interactions that occur between growing follicles and the non-growing pool of primordial follicles.     

小鼠原核期受精卵体外培养系统的筛选

为了筛选出最佳的小鼠原核期受精卵的体外发育培养系统,分别进行了四个试验。试验I:在体外分别用自配的M16、mM16、KSOM、mKSOM、CZB进行体外发育培养,进而筛选出一种最佳的体外培养系统;试验Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ分别:探讨了血清、PVA、rhLIF对小鼠胚胎发育的影响。结果,试验I中胚胎发育到2-细胞的比率差异不明显,但是在mM16和mKSOM中,发育到4-细胞的比率94.7%,90.7%(91/96;78/86)和发育到桑椹胚/囊胚的比率分别为78.1%,67.4%(75/96;58/86)均明显高于其他三种培养液;试验II用10?S代替M16中BSA时,胚胎的发育率均下降,即使在mM16中桑椹胚/囊胚率仅为4.8%(12/35)与对照组M16(40.5%)差异显著(p<0.05);试验Ⅲ用PVA取代mM16和mKSOM中的BSA其体外发育率显著下降,胚胎均无一例发育到桑椹胚/囊胚;试验Ⅳ:rhLIF能提高胚胎在体外的发育率可使mM16培养的胚胎囊胚率、囊胚脱出率分别达到84%(47/56)、39.2%(22/56)。结论:在不添减其他成分前提下,只在M16中添加0.1mMolEDTA、0.5mMol牛磺酸、1000IU/mlrhLIF便可获得84%的囊胚率,同时证明在M16或mM16添加血清都会降低其体外发育率;PVA还不能有效的取代mM16、mKSOM中的血清。     

Development of a Rapid Detection Procedure for Ctyptosporidium, Using In Vitro Cell Culture Combined with PCR

A detection, viability, and infectivity assay was developed for Cryptosporidiurn parvum. Oocysts or excysted sporozoites were inoculated onto monolayers of CaCo-2 cells grown on chamber slides. C. parvum infection was monitored by three methods: a) application of a fluorescein-labeled anti-sporozoite antibody; b) PCR of a heat-shock protein gene fragment; and c) detection of mRNA from the heat-shock protein gene by RT-PCR.     

In Vitro System for Production of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus

An in vitro system for production, purification, and concentration of mouse mammary tumor virus is described. Monolayer cultures of C(3)H mouse mammary tumor cells propagated at 34 C in roller bottles in the presence of dexamethasone, a glucocorticoid hormone, release B-type particles which possess ribonucleic acid and a ribonucleic acid-dependent deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase. One thousandfold concentration by ultracentrifugation with subsequent gradient fractionation yielded > 7 x 10(10) particles per ml in the 1.16- to 1.18-g/ml region. Mouse mammary tumor virus produced in this system was free of detectable C-type virus.     

Impact of Simulated Microgravity on Oligodendrocyte Development: Implications for Central Nervous System Repair

We have recently established a culture system to study the impact of simulated microgravity on oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) development. We subjected mouse and human OPCs to a short exposure of simulated microgravity produced by a 3D-Clinostat robot. Our results demonstrate that rodent and human OPCs display enhanced and sustained proliferation when exposed to simulated microgravity as assessed by several parameters, including a decrease in the cell cycle time. Additionally, OPC migration was examined in vitro using time-lapse imaging of cultured OPCs. Our results indicated that OPCs migrate to a greater extent after stimulated microgravity than in normal conditions, and this enhanced motility was associated with OPC morphological changes. The lack of normal gravity resulted in a significant increase in the migration speed of mouse and human OPCs and we found that the average leading process in migrating bipolar OPCs was significantly longer in microgravity treated cells than in controls, demonstrating that during OPC migration the lack of gravity promotes leading process extension, an essential step in the process of OPC migration. Finally, we tested the effect of simulated microgravity on OPC differentiation. Our data showed that the expression of mature oligodendrocyte markers was significantly delayed in microgravity treated OPCs. Under conditions where OPCs were allowed to progress in the lineage, simulated microgravity decreased the proportion of cells that expressed mature markers, such as CC1 and MBP, with a concomitant increased number of cells that retained immature oligodendrocyte markers such as Sox2 and NG2. Development of methodologies aimed at enhancing the number of OPCs and their ability to progress on the oligodendrocyte lineage is of great value for treatment of demyelinating disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the gravitational modulation of oligodendrocyte intrinsic plasticity to increase their progenies.     

Mouse Embryonic Development in a Serum-free Whole Embryo Culture System

Mid-gestation stage mouse embryos were cultured utilizing a serum-free culture medium prepared from commercially available stem cell media supplements in an oxygenated rolling bottle culture system. Mouse embryos at E10.5 were carefully isolated from the uterus with intact yolk sac and in a process involving precise surgical maneuver the embryos were gently exteriorized from the yolk sac while maintaining the vascular continuity of the embryo with the yolk sac. Compared to embryos prepared with intact yolk sac or with the yolk sac removed, these embryos exhibited superior survival rate and developmental progression when cultured under similar conditions. We show that these mouse embryos, when cultured in a defined medium in an atmosphere of 95% O₂ / 5% CO₂ in a rolling bottle culture apparatus at 37 °​C for 16-40 hr, exhibit morphological growth and development comparable to the embryos developing in utero. We believe this method will be useful for investigators needing to utilize whole embryo culture to study signaling interactions important in embryonic organogenesis.     

应用微重力旋转生物反应器培养小鼠脂肪干细胞的初步实验研究

目的:观察微重力旋转培养系统(Rotary Cell Culture System,RCCS),对小鼠脂肪干细胞增殖的影响,以寻求一种更有效的促进干细胞扩增的方法.方法:从小鼠的脂肪组织中提取分离、培养脂肪干细胞(ADSCs),并对脂肪干细胞进行流式鉴定后,利用活细胞观察法、Dil免疫荧光标记法、扫描电镜法观察微重力旋转三维培养系统对脂肪干细胞增殖的影响;通过与平面二维培养作对比,血小板计数法记录细胞的增殖情况,并绘制生长曲线.结果:两组的细胞倍增时间具有统计学意义(P＜0.05),模拟微重力旋转三维培养系统较传统平面二维培养系统,脂肪干细胞增殖更明显,生长速度更快.结论:模拟微重力旋转三维培养系统更有利于脂肪干细胞的增殖生长,为后期利用脂肪干细胞修复受损涎腺提供一种更快捷有效的扩增方法.     

低温保存的小鼠卵母细胞的体外授精研究

采用75分钟和150分钟两种精卵作用时间,对经6℃低温处理2小时和6小时的小鼠卵母细胞进行体外受精。精卵作用75分钟后,经6℃处理的卵子无一受精,而对照组的受精率为30.7％。作用150分钟后,低温处理2小时、6小时和对照组的受精率分别为62.0％,36.55％和76.0％。并对试验所出现的现象作了讨论。     

丙型肝炎病毒体外培养系统研究进展

由于缺少丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）的细胞培养系统和小动物模型，因此对其生活周期、作用机制至今仍不是很清楚，从而严重阻碍了丙型肝炎疫苗及相关治疗药物的开发与研制。一直以来，人们研究的HCV体外培养细胞模型包括感染模型和转染模型两种，感染模型由于原代肝细胞培养问题未能解决而难以成功，而转染模型的发展可喜。但是HCV复制子只能在极少数细胞中短暂复制，且产生的病毒量很低。1999年建立了亚基因组复制子，使人们有机会对其进行深入研究，但须人为引入碱基突变。最近建立的全基因复制子不需要引入突变即形成病毒粒子，是一项重大突破。概述了HCV体外培养系统的研究进展。     

Establishment of a Convenient System for the Culture and Study of Perineurium Barrier In Vitro

The perineurium serves as a selective, metabolically active diffusion barrier in the peripheral nervous system, which is composed of perineurial cells joined together by tight junctions (TJs). Not only are these junctions known to play an essential role in maintaining cellular polarity and tissue integrity, but also limit the paracellular diffusion of certain molecules and ions, whereas loss of TJs barrier function is imperative for tumour growth, invasion and metastasis. Hence, a detailed study on the barrier function of perineurial cells may provide insights into the molecular mechanism of perineural invasion (PNI). In this study, we aimed to develop an efficient procedure for the establishment of perineurial cell lines as a tool for investigating the physiology and pathophysiology of the peripheral nerve barriers. Herein, the isolation, expansion, characterization and maintenance of perineurial cell lines under favourable conditions are presented. Furthermore, the analysis of the phenotypic features of these perineurial cells as well as the barrier function for the study of PNI are described. Such techniques may provide a valuable means for the functional and molecular investigation of perineurial cells, and in particular may elucidate the pathogenesis and progression of PNI, and other peripheral nerve disorders.

     

对生玉米离体培养再生体系的建立

以对生玉米的雌、雄幼穗为外植体,研究了不同质量浓度激素及其组合对愈伤组织诱导、再分化苗和试管苗生根的影响,建立了对生玉米离体培养再生体系。结果表明：长度为15-17 mm的雌、雄幼穗能够诱导出质量较好的愈伤组织,但只有来自于雄幼穗的愈伤组织才能再生成苗。适合愈伤组织诱导的培养基为Ms+1．5-2．0 mg·L-12,4-D+0．5 mg·L-16-BA+0．5 mg·L-1 NAA+500 mg·L-1脯氨酸+1000 mg·L-1水解酪蛋白+30 g·L-1蔗糖;适合愈伤组织再分化培养基为MS+1．5-2．0 mg·L-1 6-BA+0．1 mg·L-1 NAA+500 mg·L-1水解酪蛋白+30 g·L-1 蔗糖;适合试管苗生根培养基为1／2 MS+0．25-0．5 mg·L-1 IBA+20 g·L-1蔗糖。