Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/804205
- Title
- The passage of Ca²⁺ and fluorescent markers between the sperm and egg after fusion in the mouse
- Author/Creator
-
Jones, Keith T.;
Soeller, Christian;
Cannell, Mark B.
- Description
- Mouse sperm-egg fusion was examined using twophoton and confocal microscopy. A delay of several minutes occurred between the first observable event of fusion (which was the diffusion of Ca²⁺-sensitive dyes from egg into sperm)and any change in egg cytoplasmic Ca²⁺. When indo-1 dextran was used to obtain ratiometric two-photon images,there was no detectable local increase in egg cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ near the site of sperm fusion. However, the sperm underwent a Ca²⁺ transient which appeared to be coincident with the egg cytoplasm Ca²⁺ transient, which suggested that there was a high permeability pathway for Ca²⁺ between egg and sperm. To exclude this pathway from providing trigger Ca²⁺ for the egg transient, we reduced bathing (Ca²⁺] to approx. 18 μM and 13nM (with EGTA). In these conditions the first egg Ca²⁺ transient was not prevented, which makes an obligatory role for extracellular Ca²⁺ in the initiation of the egg Ca²⁺ transient unlikely. Both FITC-albumin (70 kDa) and 10 kDa dextran-linked Ca²⁺ indicators were able to diffuse into the sperm from the egg. In addition, phycoerythrin (240 kDa)rapidly diffused into the sperm shortly after fusion (but before any changes in Ca²⁺ occurred). This suggests that the ‘pore(s)’ that form during sperm-egg fusion must be at least 8 nm in diameter. These data are compatible with the idea that a diffusible sperm protein could trigger the observed changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ in the egg, but do not exclude the possibility that other second messengers are generated during sperm-egg fusion.
- Relation
- Development Vol. 125, Issue 23, p. 4627-4635
- Relation
- http://dev.biologists.org./content/125/23/4627.abstract
- Date
- 1998
- Publisher
- The Company of Biologists
- Keyword(s)
-
sperm;
fertilization;
egg;
Ca²⁺;
confocal imaging
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/804205
- Identifier
- ISSN:0950-1991
- Language
- eng
- Reviewed
- Full Text
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