PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P F Ward-Bailey

Publications and source records attributed to P F Ward-Bailey.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Neuromuscular ataxia: a new spontaneous mutation in the mouse.

Neuromuscular ataxia, nma, is a new autosomal recessive mutation that arose spontaneously in CBA/J inbred mice at The Jackson Laboratory. The mutation, now maintained on the B6C3FeF(1) hybrid background, when homozygous, causes small size, uncoordinated gait, dysmetria, dystonia, general weakness, and death shortly after weaning. No biochemical or morphological abnormalities have been detected. We used an intercross between the B6C3FeF(1) mutant and CAST/Ei to map the nma mutation to the proximal end of Chr 12. The most likely gene order places the mutation between D12Mit270 and D12Mit54, non-recombinant with D12Mit2 in 96 tested meioses.

Animals↗

A new mouse mutation causing male sterility and histoincompatibility.

Male sterility and histoincompatibility, mshi, is an autosomal recessive mutation in BALB/cBy mice that causes reduced testis size and sterility in homozygous males. The testes of homozygous mutants are highly disorganized and appear to have a block in the regulation of male germ cell proliferation. No heterozygous effect is detectable. Reproduction is unaffected in females carrying the mutation. The mutation also affects histocompatibility; most homozygous males and females reject sex-matched skin grafts from BALB/cBy mice. We used an intercross between BALB/cBy and CAST/Ei to map the mshi mutation to the proximal end of Chromosome (Chr) 10. The most likely gene order places the mutation between D10Mit80 and D10Mit16, near the interferon gamma receptor locus, Ifgr, which may be a candidate gene for this mutation.

Animals↗

Effects of growth factors on cell cycle arrest in dolichyl phosphate-depleted cultures.

Previously we showed that CHO cell growth is arrested in the G1 or G0 phase within 24 h after the biosynthesis of mevalonic acid is blocked. The growth-limiting factor under these conditions appeared to be dolichyl phosphate or one of its glycosylated derivatives with consequent decrease in the synthesis of N-linked glycoproteins (Doyle, J.W., and A.A. Kandutsch, 1988, J. Cell Physiol. 137:133-140; Kabakoff, B., J.W. Doyle, and A.A. Kandutsch, 1990, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 276:382-389). We show herein that cell surface glycoproteins are depleted in the inhibited cultures and that growth arrest is delayed when supraphysiological concentrations of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and bFGF are added to the culture medium. Apparently an elevated level of a growth factor increases the length of time during which a threshold level of occupied receptor is maintained as the number of glycosylated receptor molecules declines. The results support the idea that cellular levels of dolichyl phosphate and its derivatives may limit cell division by controlling the numbers of functional receptors for growth factors and of other glycoproteins on the cell surface.

Animals↗

Hypoxanthine is the principal inhibitor of murine oocyte maturation in a low molecular weight fraction of porcine follicular fluid.

Studies were carried out to identify and quantify the porcine follicular fluid (PFF) component(s) responsible for inhibition of murine oocyte maturation. A low molecular weight fraction of PFF (less than 1000) was prepared by dialysis and used in all experiments. This PFF fraction contained an inhibitor(s) of mouse oocyte maturation that absorbed maximally in the ultraviolet (UV) range at 250-260 nm. When the PFF fraction was charcoal-extracted, significant loss of absorbance at 250, 260, and 280 nm resulted, which corresponded to loss of inhibitory activity. Four major components of PFF were separated by ion-exchange chromatography and characterized according to their UV spectral characteristics and inhibitory activity. When individual fractions demonstrating identical spectra were pooled and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, the first pooled fraction (A) was found to be impure, but adenine comprised 80% of the UV-absorbing material. Fractions B, C, and D were characterized as pure uracil, hypoxanthine, and 7-methylinosine, respectively. The concentrations of these compounds in PFF were estimated to be 0.06 mM adenine, 0.44 mM uracil, 1.41 mM hypoxanthine, and 0.19 mM 7-methylinosine. Comparison of the potencies of commercial preparations of these compounds established that hypoxanthine is the major inhibitory component of the low molecular weight PFF fraction. Moreover, a commercial preparation of hypoxanthine mimicked the action of PFF on mouse oocyte maturation in that it produced a transient inhibition of oocyte maturation that was significantly potentiated by follicle-stimulating hormone and dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate. When the inhibitory efficacies of purine and pyrimidine bases and nucleosides were compared, their relative potencies in decreasing order were purine bases greater than purine nucleosides greater than pyrimidine bases = pyrimidine nucleosides. We conclude that hypoxanthine is the predominant low molecular weight component of PFF that inhibits mouse oocyte maturation but that other purines/pyrimidines may also play a role in vivo in maintaining meiotic arrest.

Animals↗

Hypoxanthine and adenosine in murine ovarian follicular fluid: concentrations and activity in maintaining oocyte meiotic arrest.

The concentrations of hypoxanthine and adenosine in ovarian follicular fluid were estimated, using high-performance liquid chromatography, for three groups of mice: 1) pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG)-primed mice; 2) PMSG-primed mice 2 h after injection with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG); and 3) PMSG-primed mice 5 h after injection with hCG. The concentration of hypoxanthine in follicular fluid of Group 1 mice was 2-4 mM and of adenosine was 0.35-0.70 mM. There was no difference in the concentrations of these purines in the follicular fluid of Group 2 mice, in which maturation had been induced with hCG but the samples were taken just before germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). Therefore, a decrease in the concentrations of these purines does not appear to induce GVBD. A significant decrease in the concentrations of hypoxanthine and adenosine was observed in the follicular fluid of Group 3 mice in which GVBD had already occurred. This decrease was probably a result of an increase in follicular fluid volume. Adenosine had a significant, but transient, effect in maintaining both cumulus cell-enclosed and denuded oocytes in meiotic arrest; all oocytes had undergone GVBD by 100 min incubation in 1 mM adenosine. When GVBD was assessed after 3 h culture, concentrations up to 5 mM adenosine failed to maintain meiotic arrest. In contrast, hypoxanthine (2-5 mM) had a dose-dependent effect in maintaining both cumulus cell-enclosed and denuded oocytes in meiotic arrest that was sustained up to 24 h. Cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes were always more sensitive to hypoxanthine than were denuded oocytes. There was a strong synergistic effect of adenosine and hypoxanthine in maintaining meiotic arrest; 4 mM hypoxanthine and 0.75 mM adenosine maintained more than 95% of the oocytes in meiotic arrest for culture periods up to 24 h. This action was completely reversible by withdrawal of the purines. It is hypothesized that the synergistic effect of these purines may result both by promoting cyclic adenosine monophosphate synthesis (adenosine), and by preventing its hydrolysis (hypoxanthine).

Adenosine↗

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans inhibit hyaluronic acid synthesizing activity in mouse cumuli oophori.

Prior to ovulation, the cumulus cells that surround the oocyte become embedded in a matrix containing hyaluronic acid (HA). Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) prevent the hormonally stimulated deposition of this matrix in vitro. The goal of this project was to determine the effect of sulfated GAGs on the HA-synthesizing activity of the cumuli oophori. This activity was measured in lysates of mouse cumuli oophori after stimulation of isolated cumulus cell-oocyte complexes with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the presence or absence of sulfated GAGs. FSH treatment resulted in a 5-fold stimulation of HA-synthesizing activity by 3 h in vitro. This induction was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by heparin and chondroitin sulfate B. However, addition of heparin or chondroitin sulfate B to the assay mixtures containing lysates of FSH-stimulated cumuli oophori had no effect on the HA-synthesizing activity. Heparin also suppressed HA-synthesizing activity stimulated by dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Heparin inhibited the continued increase in hyaluronic acid synthesizing activity when added to cultures after 3 h of FSH stimulation. Also, addition of heparin to cultures of cumuli oophori after 3 or 6 h of incubation in medium containing FSH resulted in only partial cumulus expansion. These results indicate that sulfated GAGs, which are found in ovarian follicular fluid and are a component of extracellular matrix, inhibit some cellular process(es) that results in increased HA-synthesizing activity. The sulfated GAGs also have the ability to suppress HA-synthesizing activity after it has been induced to levels that result in partial cumulus expansion. However, the sulfated GAGs are not direct enzyme inhibitors.

Animals↗

Inhibition of oocyte maturation in the mouse: participation of cAMP, steroid hormones, and a putative maturation-inhibitory factor.

The hypothesis that cumulus cells inhibit oocyte maturation by a cAMP-dependent process was tested (R.M. Schultz, R. Montgomery, P.F. Ward-Bailey, and J.J. Eppig (1983). Dev. Biol. 95, 294-304.). Treatment of isolated cumulus cell-oocyte complexes with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in both cumulus cell cAMP levels and in the extent of inhibition of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), the first morphological manifestation of oocyte maturation. Furthermore, it was found that concentrations of a membrane-permeable analog of cAMP, dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP), that were below those required for complete meiotic inhibition had a greater inhibitory effect on cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes than on denuded oocytes. Cumulus cell-enclosed and denuded oocytes matured at the same time in the absence of dbcAMP. Ablation of the gap junctions that couple cumulus cells to the oocyte abolished the maturation-inhibitory action of cumulus cells that was promoted either by FSH or low concentrations of dbcAMP. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that inhibition of oocyte maturation is mediated by a factor of granulosa/cumulus cell origin, other than cAMP, which requires cAMP for its activity and/or generation, and an intact intercellular coupling pathway between cumulus cells and the oocyte. A variety of steroid hormones potentiated the FSH-induced inhibition of maturation in cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes. In addition, steroid hormones inhibited maturation in denuded oocytes, but only when oocyte cAMP levels were elevated by cAMP analogs or forskolin. Steroids alone did not inhibit maturation of either cumulus cell-enclosed or denuded oocytes. Moreover, the steroids alone or in combination with FSH did not affect metabolic coupling between the cumulus cells and oocytes, nor did testosterone affect the forskolin-induced level of cAMP in denuded oocytes. Therefore, it is proposed that the oocyte is a site for the synergistic activity of steroid hormones with a cAMP-dependent process in inhibiting maturation. Results of these studies are discussed in terms of the roles of intercellular communication, cAMP, a putative maturation-inhibiting factor, and steroid hormones in the inhibition of maturation of mouse oocytes.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗

Spontaneous tumors of the prostate gland in inbred strains of mice.

Spontaneous tumors of the prostate gland in the house mouse (Mus musculus) have rarely been described. In a histologic survey of prostate glands from old (greater than 700 days of age) mice, we have observed 2 primary adenocarcinomas of the prostate gland, 1 in a 1,047-day-old C57BL/6J mouse (DEH 1009) and 1 with metastases to the kidney and lungs in a 778-day-old C57BL/KsJ mouse (DEH 705C). We have also found a rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate gland in a C57BL/6J mouse (DEH 1121C) 732 days old. The histologic characteristics of these tumors, and of the prostate glands of mice of similar ages without prostatic neoplastic involvement, including a 736-day-old CBA/CaJ mouse (DEH 849) with adenomatous hyperplasia, are described.

Adenocarcinoma↗