Hormones and the control of biochemical processes in spermatogenesis

The aim of the experiments described in this thesis was to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship, in molecular terms, between hormones and the development of male germinal cells in rats. In this introduction we will discuss some important aspects of spermatogenesis, the hormonal control of spermatogenesis, and the aim and scope of the present thesis

Sex and gender issues in competitive sports: investigation of a historical case leads to a new viewpoint

Based on DNA analysis of a historical case, the authors describe how a female athlete can be unknowingly confronted with the consequences of a disorder of sex development resulting in hyperandrogenism emerging early in her sports career. In such a situation, it is harmful and confusing to question sex and gender. Exposure to either a low or high level of endogenous testosterone from puberty is a decisive factor with respect to sexual dimorphism of physical performance. Yet, measurement of testosterone is not the means by which questions of an athlete's eligibility to compete with either women or men are resolved. The authors discuss that it might be justifiable to use the circulating testosterone level as an endocrinological parameter, to try to arrive at an objective criterion in evaluating what separates women and men in sports competitions, which could prevent the initiation of complicated, lengthy and damaging sex and gender verification procedures

Regulation of gonadotropin receptor gene expression

The receptors for the gonadotropins differ from the other G protein-coupled receptors by having a large extracellular hormone-binding domain, encoded by nine or ten exons. Alternative splicing of the large pre-mRNA of approximately 100 kb can result in mRNA species that encode truncated receptor proteins. In this review we discuss the regulation of gonadotropin receptor mRNA expression and the possible roles of alternative splicing in gonadotropin receptor function

DNA repair mechanisms and gametogenesis

In mammals, there is a complex and intriguing relationship between DNA repair and gametogenesis. DNA repair mechanisms are involved not only in the repair of different types of DNA damage in developing germline cells, but also take part in the meiotic recombination process. Furthermore, the DNA repair mechanisms should tolerate mutations occurring during gametogenesis, to a limited extent. In the present review, several gametogenic aspects of DNA mismatch repair, homologous recombination repair and postreplication repair are discussed. In addition, the role of DNA damage-induced cell cycle checkpoint control is considered briefly. It appears that many genes encoding proteins that take part in DNA repair mechanisms show enhanced or specialized expression during mammalian gametogenesis, and several gene knockout mouse models show male or female infertility. On the basis of such knowledge and models, future experiments may provide more information about the precise relationship between DNA repair, chromatin dynamics, and genomic stability versus instability during gametogenesis

改革開放期中国における資金循環メカニズムと地域経済発展

博士（経済学）神戸大

Alternative splicing of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor pre-mRNA: cloning and characterization of two alternatively spliced mRNA transcripts

Glycoprotein hormone receptors contain a large extracellular domain that is encoded by multiple exons, facilitating the possibility of expressing alternatively spliced transcripts. We have cloned two new splice variants of the rat follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor gene: FSH-R1 and FSH-R2. The splice variant FSH-R1 differs from the full-length FSH receptor mRNA by the inclusion of a small extra exon between exons 9 and 10. FSH-R2 lacks the first three base pairs o