Data of histochemical studies suggest that THs exert significant influences on myelination and the process of neuron degenerations leading to deficit in brain development. Results of IHC in this study are not fully matched to gene transcription results. It indicates that gene transcriptions may not be synonymous with gene translation. The ratio of RNA transcripts to proteins may differ among genes. It suggested that the transcriptional and morphological studies are supplementary to each other. / In this study, hypothyroidism was induced by different regimens. They are 0.05% methimazole (MMI), 0.02% MMI plus 1% NaC1O4, and 0.1% propyl-thiouracil in drinking water of mother rats from day 16 of their pregnancies, postnatal day 1 or day 4 to day 24. The replacement therapy was done by giving either a single s.c. injection of 300 nM T4 18 hrs before sacrifice on postnatal day 16, or by giving s.c. daily injections of 1.5 ng T3 plus 9 ng T4 per gram body weight from postnatal day 11 to 15. Olfactory bulb (OB), hippocampus (H) and cerebellum (CM) and in some cases also cerebral cortex (CX) were studied. The axon guidance molecules and their related genes, Galpha proteins, RGSs and small GTPases mRNA levels were examined with Real-Time quantitative RT-PCR. Special staining on sagittal frozen brain sections with histochemical and immunohistochemical (IHC) techniques were also studied. / It is well established that neonatal hypothyroidism causes defective development of the brain. As signals for synaptogenesis, growth factors and their receptors regulate the gene expression of the growth cone proteins and axon guidance molecules, and control the differentiation of neurons during brain development. Galpha proteins are signal transducers and regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are recently identified family of proteins that dampen G protein-coupled receptor-mediated signaling by accelerating the intrinsic GTPase activity of Galpha proteins. They play important roles in determining the intensity and specificity of signaling pathways in brain and their adaptations to synaptic activities. / The transcript abundance of some genes, such as Galphai1, Galphai2, Galphaol, Galphas, RGS 2, - 4, -5, -7, -8, -12, -16, -17, Mfn2, TRalpha1, TRbeta 1, Rheb, Rhes, Dexras1, Plexin1, Citron-Kinase, GAP-43, CRMP1, CRMP3, CRMP4 and CRMP5 in CM; Galpha12, Galphai3, G alphaol, Galphaolf, Galphaq, RGS 5, - 7, -8, -16, cdc42, Rhes, TC10, Dexras1, Citron-Kinase, TRalpha1, CRMP2, Wnt7A, Sema3A and GAP43 in OB and Galpha12, Galphai1 , Galphai2, Galphao2, RGS 5, -8, - 16, Mfn1, Mfn2, TRalpha1, Rhes, TC10, Dexras1, Citron-Kinase, GAP-43, CRMPI1, CRMP4, CRMP5 and Gda in H; TRalpha1, CRMP1, CRMP4, CRMP5, Plexin1, Plexin2, Gda and GAP-43 in CX are significantly altered in the neonatal hypothyroid rats. Of note, the mRNA levels of several genes were normalized by TH replacement therapy. Close correlations were found among various Galpha proteins, RGS genes, small GTPases and some axon guidance molecules in a brain- region- specific manner. Our results indicate certain direct or indirect transcriptional effects of the THs on the expression of brain development-related genes and these effects are probably under both temporal and spatial regulations during brain development. / by Yan, Ran. / "January 2007." / Advisers: Michael S. C. Tam; Chun Cheung Wong. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: B, page: 5776. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-238). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

This research project investigates the long-term consequences of perinatal exposure to high-fat (HF) on the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system. Adult offspring of mothers fed a HF diet (30% fat, compared to 5% in control mothers (C)) during the last week of gestation and throughout lactation displayed decreased locomotion in response to an acute amphetamine challenge and decreased behavioral sensitization to repeated amphetamine compared to C animals. These behavioral effects were accompanied by small increases in tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the ventral tegmental area and significant increases in DA and DOPAC content in the NAc, suggesting an elevated DA tone in this target field. In the NAc, there were no significant changes in D1, D2 receptors or DA transporter (DAT) levels between diet groups. The behavioural and biochemical data were collected in adulthood, long after the termination of the diet suggesting that a HF perinatal diet is inducing permanent changes within the DA system and might contribute to the development of metabolic disturbances.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2002. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2005. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online as a PDF document.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / "May 2007" The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Endocannabinoids are products of phospholipid-derived arachidonic acid that regulate hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. We hypothesize that differences in the quality and quantity of maternal dietary fat will modulate the neonatal phospholipid arachidonic acid content of the brain affecting the stress response via differences in endocannabinoid concentration of stress-activated brain areas. Dams were fed a 5% (C) or 300.10 fat diet rich in either n-6 (C, HF) or n-3 (HFF) fat during the perinatal period. PND4-5 HFF milk displays a reduced n-6/n-3 ratio compared to C and HF milk. PND10 hypothalamic and hippocampal PL AA levels are reduced in HFF pups relative to C and HF offspring; and predict endocannabinoid levels in a region-specific manner. In all pups pre-treated with an endocannabinoid receptor antagonist (AM251) or an inhibitor of the endocannabinoid degradative enzyme (URB597), basal and stress-induced ACTH secretion dose-dependently increased. Moreover, HFF pups exhibited a tendency towards reduced AM251 sensitivity under stressful conditions. These data suggest that the nature of perinatal dietary fat can differentially influence neonatal brain arachidonic acid levels and their endocannabinoid derivatives; and endocannabinoid signaling may be altered between diet groups since pups exhibit differences in sensitivity to endocannabinoid receptor blockade.

No description available.

No description available.

Tao Kin Pong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-152). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter i. --- Cover page --- p.1 / Chapter ii. --- Table of contents --- p.2 / Chapter iii. --- Abstract of thesis (English version and Chinese Version) --- p.4 / Chapter iv. --- Acknowledgements --- p.8 / Chapter v. --- Abbreviations --- p.9 / Chapter 1. --- Introduction / Interstitial tissue and Leydig cells --- p.11 / Seminiferous tubules --- p.11 / "Male germ cell line and spermatogenesis (Mitotic, Meiotic and Post-meiotic)" --- p.12 / Sertoli cells --- p.14 / Specialized organizations of junction present in testis --- p.15 / Dynamic nature of Sertoli-Sertoli & Sertoli-germ cell junctions --- p.16 / Role of proteases and protease inhibitors in male gametogenesis --- p.17 / Proteases and Proteases Inhibitors expressed in testis --- p.18 / Hormonal control of spermatogenesis --- p.19 / Hypothyroidism and testis development --- p.21 / Genes to be studied: / Proteases --- p.22 / Proteases Inhibitors --- p.27 / Other spermatogenesis related genes --- p.30 / Chapter 2. --- Objectives --- p.32 / Chapter 3. --- Materials and Methods / Animal treatments and tissue collection --- p.33 / RNA preparation --- p.34 / RT-PCRs --- p.35 / Real-time PCRs --- p.35 / Data manipulations and Statistics --- p.36 / Primer sequences used in this experiment --- p.37 / Chapter 4. --- Results / "Effect of neonatal hypothyroidism on developmental profile of body weight, absolute and relative testicular weight" --- p.40 / Developmental transcription profiles of genes under normal and hypothyroidism --- p.43 / Screening Data --- p.78 / Expression of non-spermatogenic genes at neonatal age --- p.88 / Responsiveness of gene transcription after thyroxin replacement --- p.89 / Changes of gene expression under different hypothyroid regimens --- p.97 / Chapter 5. --- Discussion / Changes in testicular size under hypothyroidism --- p.107 / Five patterns of transcription profile --- p.107 / "Suggestion on the role of ""MEIOTIC"" proteases and inhibitors" --- p.111 / "Suggestion on the role of ""POST-MEIOTIC"" proteases and inhibitors" --- p.113 / "Explanations on ""SOMATIC"" genes" --- p.114 / "Explanations on ""MITOTIC"" genes" --- p.115 / Explanations on the un-clustered pattern --- p.116 / Explanations on the age down-regulated group --- p.116 / Proposed clustering of genes according to their transcription profile --- p.117 / "Expression of some ""non-spermatogenic"" genes before puberty" --- p.123 / Neonatal hypothyroidism as a model for studying reproductive physiology --- p.125 / Different components of spermatogenesis --- p.127 / Chapter I. --- Roles of nuclear and chromatin related genes in assisting meiosis --- p.128 / Chapter II. --- Roles of specific transcription regulators in assisting gene selection --- p.129 / Chapter III. --- Role of signal transduction molecules for translation and activation --- p.131 / Chapter IV. --- Role of proteases and inhibitors for matrix and junctions dynamics --- p.132 / The somatic proteases and inhibitors system in the testis --- p.133 / Spermatogenic proteases and inhibitors system --- p.134 / Chapter V. --- Role of matrix and junctional molecules in intercellular interactions --- p.137 / Chapter VI. --- Role of cytoplasmic motors in cellular movement --- p.139 / Chapter 6. --- Conclusion / Proposed story of spermatogenesis - involvement of proteases and inhibitors --- p.140 / Future Direction --- p.141 / Chapter 7. --- References --- p.144