Cellular expression and hormonal regulation of neuropilin-1 and -2 messenger ribonucleic Acid in the human and rhesus macaque endometrium.

Although much is known about the biology of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its cognate receptors (VEGFRs), VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, little is known about the roles of the VEGFRs neuropilin (NP)-1 and NP-2 in the primate endometrium. In this study, we investigated the cellular localization and hormonal regulation of NP-1 and NP-2 mRNA by in situ hybridization in the endometrium of ovariectomized, hormonally cycled rhesus macaques and women during the natural menstrual cycle. NP-1 mRNA was highly expressed in vascular endothelium and in stromal cells, but in these cells, NP-1 expression did not change during the menstrual cycle.

The effect of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on chorionic gonadotrophin activity in pregnant macaques.

As many as 62% of all human conceptions are lost prior to 12 weeks of pregnancy and it is unknown how many of these losses result from environmental hazards. Previous studies have shown that single doses of 1, 2, and 4 microg/kg 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) administrated orally to cynomolgus macaques during the peri-implantation period leads to early fetal loss (EFL) within 10-20 days. TCDD induced EFL is associated with a reduction in the biological activity of monkey chorionic gonadotrophin (mCG) but no change in the immunoreactive mCG profile.

Mild testicular hyperthermia induces profound transitional spermatogenic suppression through increased germ cell apoptosis in adult cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

We have previously demonstrated that mild testicular hyperthermia induces stage-specific and germ cell-specific apoptosis in rat and mouse testes. The objectives of this pilot study were to examine whether mild testicular hyperthermia induces azoospermia and oligozoospermia in nonhuman primates, and to determine whether spermatogenesis suppression was due to acceleration of germ cell apoptosis. Three adult Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were used in this study.

Comparison of chorionic gonadotropin expression in human and macaque (Macaca fascicularis) trophoblasts.

We have designed novel DNA primers that allow us to detect the expression of the subunits of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) from a variety of species of the order Primates. Using these primers, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and standard cloning techniques, we detected the expression of a single gene for the common glycoprotein hormone (GPH) alpha-subunit and at least two genes for the CG beta-subunit in trophoblasts of Macaca fascicularis (cynomolgous macaque (cm)) at gestational day (GD) = 26 (+/- 2d). No cmCG expression was detected at GD = 35-40.