Aromatase activity in brain and ovary: Seasonal variations correlated with circannual gonadal cycle in the catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis.

Seasonal variations in the aromatase activity in H. fossilis estimated by a microassay were correlated with the sex steroids, vitellogenin in and ovarian weight during circannual reproductive cycle. In the female catfish, aromatase activity was detectable in the hypothalamus throughout the year whereas in ovary only during active vitellogenesis. In the catfish, hypothalamic aromatase levels increased two times during annual gonadal cycle, once in a fully gravid fish and then in a reproductively quiescent fish. On the other hand, increase in the ovarian aromatase activity was observed only during vitellogenesis, which showed a direct correlation with plasma levels of sex steroids. Further, plasma levels of testosterone and estradiol suggested a precursor-product relationship. At the completion of vitellogenesis, ovarian aromatase activity declined sharply resulting in elevation of plasma testosterone levels, which in turn could be utilized as substrate by the hypothalamic aromatase whose activity was the highest in the postvitellogenic catfish. At least two isoforms of gene, cyp19a and cyp19b, coding for aromatase in ovary and brain respectively were expressed in the catfish. Aromatase activity was more concentrated in those areas of catfish brain, which have been implicated in the control of reproduction.

Correlation analysis of cytochrome P450c19 genes with osteoporotic fracture in a large sample of Shaanxi Guanzhong Population / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To study the relationship between osteoporotic hip fracture (OHF) and polymorphism of cytochrome P450c19 genes. Methods By using a group correlation analysis, we made a case-control study of seven single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites groupinge and haplotype in 400 OHF patients from Shaanxi Guanzhong population and 400 normal samples as controls. Results A total of 700 samples were successfully genotyped. Correlation analysis identified three blocks and selected seven tag SNPs. According to the variance analysis, rs7167343, rs8031463, and polymorphism of haplotype 3 were associated with hip fracture. Conclusion Cytochrome P450c19 genes have association with the incidence of osteoporotic fracture in the Han population we studied from Shaanxi Guanzhong region. Therefore, cytochrome P450c19 genes may affect the incidence of osteoporotic hip fracture in the Han population from Guanzhong region, Shaanxi Province.

CYP19 Gene Polymorphism in Patients with Endometriosis / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of the CYP19 gene polymorphism with the risk of endometriosis. METHODS: Two hundred seventy-nine women with surgically or histologically diagnosed endometriosis of stages I-IV (ASRM, 1997) were recruited, and two hundred eighteen patients with no evidence of endometriosis by laparoscopy or laparotomy served as control. We analysed the frequency and distribution of a TTTA repeat polymorphism and a 3 bp insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism in intron 4 of the CYP19 gene. RESULTS: Six alleles of the CYP19 gene tetranucleotide repeat polymorphism were found in subjects: from 7 repeats to 13 repeats except 9 repeats. There was no statistically significant difference in the allele distribution of tetranucleotide repeat polymorphism in intron 4 of the CYP19 gene between patients with endometriosis and controls. Also there was no statistically significant difference in the 3 bp insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism in intron 4 of the CYP19 gene between patients with endometriosis and controls. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that tetranucleotide repeat polymorphism and a 3 bp insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism of the CYP19 gene are not associated with the risk endometriosis in the Korean population.