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Calcium signaling in mammalian egg activation and embryo development: The influence of subcellular localization
Author(s) -
Miao YiLiang,
Williams Carmen J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.22078
Subject(s) - biology , oocyte activation , microbiology and biotechnology , calcium signaling , signal transduction , effector , oocyte , calcium , human fertilization , embryogenesis , embryo , cell signaling , genetics , medicine
Calcium (Ca 2+ ) signals drive the fundamental events surrounding fertilization and the activation of development in all species examined to date. Initial studies of Ca 2+ signaling at fertilization in marine animals were tightly linked to new discoveries of bioluminescent proteins and their use as fluorescent Ca 2+ sensors. Since that time, there has been rapid progress in our understanding of the key functions for Ca 2+ in many cell types and of the impact of cellular localization on Ca 2+ signaling pathways. In this review, which focuses on mammalian egg activation, we consider how Ca 2+ is regulated and stored at different stages of oocyte development and examine the functions of molecules that serve as both regulators of Ca 2+ release and effectors of Ca 2+ signals. We then summarize studies exploring how Ca 2+ directs downstream effectors mediating both egg activation and later signaling events required for successful preimplantation embryo development. Throughout this review, we focus attention on how localization of Ca 2+ signals influences downstream signaling events, and attempt to highlight gaps in our knowledge that are ripe for future research. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 742–756, 2012. Published 2012. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.