| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
We found a new biological factor to induce ovulation of sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus and Holothuria leucospilota. The factor did not induce any oocyte maturation and induced ovulation of oocytes without resumption of meiosis. The factor was found in an incubation medium where eggs and sperms were released from stimulated gonads. The factor was an ionic compound with a molecular size less than 10,000 Da estimated by methods of ultrafiltration and gel filtration chromatography. It was able to be separated by a reverse-phased HPLC.
We also found that a serine protease inhibitor, AEBSF(4-(2-aminoethyl) benzensulfonyl fluoride), induced ovulation without oocyte maturation at 1 mM. Released oocytes retained nuclei and looked as normal. It may indicate that there is some mechanism to initiate ovulation process independent from a physiological state of oocytes. It is still unclear whether a site of action of AEBSF is similar to that of the ovulation-inducting factor found in the study.
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