cDNAs for three subunits of gonadotropin, namely follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) β, luteinizing hormone (LH) β and glycoprotein hormone (GP) α, of the New Zealand longfinned eel Anguilla dieffenbachii were cloned. Based on their nucleotide sequences, which were more than 98% identical to those of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica, a real‐time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction method for the quantitative assay of gonadotropin subunit mRNAs of the two eel species was developed using the same primer sets. Accordingly, changes in pituitary gonadotropin mRNA levels were analyzed in female Japanese eels induced to develop artificially by salmon pituitary homogenate (SPH) treatment and in naturally maturing female New Zealand longfinned eels collected from the wild. In Japanese eels, the FSH β mRNA level was very high at the previtellogenic stage (PV) and decreased remarkably after SPH injection, whereas the reverse was seen in New Zealand longfinned eels. The mRNA levels of LH β and GP α increased during gonadal development in both species, albeit to a much greater extent in Japanese eels. As the Japanese and New Zealand longfinned eels are closely related species of the same genus, the different gonadotropin expression patterns are likely to reflect differences in maturational conditions rather than species. Our findings are indicative of aberrant gonadal development and may explain the poor quality eggs obtained from artificially matured Japanese eels.
Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), originally identified as a potent growth cone collapsing factor in developing sensory neurons, is now recognized as a key player in immune, cardiovascular, bone metabolism and neurological systems. Here we established an anti-Sema3A monoclonal antibody that neutralizes the effects of Sema3A both in vitro and in vivo. The anti-Sema3A neutralization chick IgM antibodies were screened by combining an autonomously diversifying library selection system and an in vitro growth cone collapse assay. We further developed function-blocking chick-mouse chimeric and humanized anti-Sema3A antibodies. We found that our anti-Sema3A antibodies were effective for improving the survival rate in lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis in mice. Our antibody is a potential therapeutic agent that may prevent the onset of or alleviate symptoms of human diseases associated with Sema3A.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.