- Title
- Sperm-induced Ca²⁺ oscillations in mouse oocytes and eggs can be mimicked by photolysis of caged inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate: evidence to support a continuous low level production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate during mammalian fertilization
- Creator
- Jones, Keith T.; Nixon, Victoria L.
- Relation
- Developmental Biology Vol. 225, Issue 1, p. 1-12
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/dbio.2000.9826
- Publisher
- Academic Press
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2000
- Description
- During mouse fertilization the spermatozoon induces a series of low-frequency long-lasting Ca²⁺ oscillations. It is generally accepted that these oscillations are due to Ca²⁺ release through the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP₃) receptor. However, InsP₃ microinjection does not mimic sperm-induced Ca²⁺ oscillations, leading to the suggestion that the spermatozoon causes Ca²⁺ release by sensitizing the InsP₃ receptor to basal levels of InsP₃. This contradicts recent evidence that the spermatozoon triggers Ca²⁺ oscillations by introducing a phospholipase C or else an activator of phospholipase C. Here we show for the first time that sperm-induced Ca²⁺ oscillations may be mimicked by the photolysis of caged InsP₃ in both mouse metaphase II eggs and germinal vesicle stage oocytes. Eggs, and also oocytes that had displayed spontaneous Ca²⁺ oscillations, gave long-lasting Ca²⁺ oscillations when fertilized or when caged InsP₃ was photolyzed. In contrast, oocytes that had shown no spontaneous Ca²⁺ oscillations did not generate many oscillations when fertilized or following photolysis of caged InsP₃. Fertilization in eggs was most closely mimicked when InsP₃ was uncaged at relatively low amounts for extended periods. Here we observed an initial Ca²⁺ transient with superimposed spikes, followed by a series of single transients with a low frequency; all characteristics of the Ca²⁺ changes at fertilization. We therefore show that InsP₃ can mimic the distinctive pattern of Ca²⁺ release in mammalian eggs at fertilization. It is proposed that a sperm Ca²⁺-releasing factor operates by generating a continuous small amount of InsP₃ over an extended period of time, consistent with the evidence for the involvement of a phospholipase C.
- Subject
- mouse; fertilization; oocytes; photolysis; mammal; oscillations; sperm
- Identifier
- uon:6576
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/804274
- Identifier
- ISSN:0012-1606
- Language
- eng
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