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Prolonged, repetitive calcium transients in rat oocytes fertilized in vitro and in vivo
Author(s) -
Ben-Yosef Dalit,
Oron Yoram,
Shalgi Ruth
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(93)80344-t
Subject(s) - in vivo , calcium , in vitro , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , andrology , biophysics , biology , biochemistry , medicine , genetics , organic chemistry
Zona‐free rat oocytes inseminated with capacitated sperm, under conditions that allow polyspermic fertilization, exhibited a rapid, transient elevation of cellular calcium (from 147 ± 10 to 607 ± 55 nM, n = 19, measured by Fura 2 fluorescence ratio imaging) immediately after sperm attachment. This peak was followed by a series of dramatic calcium transients of high amplitude (maximal 847 ± 32 nM) and frequency (range 2.1 ± 0.07–3.9 ± 0.07 min), which continued for several hours. A similar pattern was seen also in zona‐free oocytes fertilized with low sperm density (i.e. producing mainly monospermic attachment) and in zona‐enclosed oocytes fertilized in vitro. Moreover, single or repetitive calcium transients were observed in rat oocytes fertilized in vivo. These findings indicate that in normal fertilization in vivo, sperm‐oocyte interaction initiates a prolonged train of cyclical calcium changes in the oocyte. This activity may be necessary for the early events in the fertilization process.