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Related Experiment Videos

Oscillatory CaMKII activity in mouse egg activation.

Styliani Markoulaki1, Sara Matson, Allison L Abbott

  • 1Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences, Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.

Developmental Biology
|June 12, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Fertilization triggers calcium oscillations that activate mammalian egg development. This study shows that Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) activity oscillates with these calcium signals, driving egg activation events.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Cell Signaling
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Fertilization initiates mammalian development via intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) oscillations.
  • The precise biochemical mechanisms linking Ca(2+) signals to egg activation remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that oscillatory Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) activity, stimulated by fertilization-like Ca(2+) transients, drives egg activation.
  • To investigate the relationship between Ca(2+) oscillations and CaMKII activity in regulating egg activation events.

Main Methods:

  • Experimentally induced synchronous Ca(2+) oscillations in unfertilized mouse eggs using ionomycin and controlled extracellular calcium.
  • Simultaneously measured intracellular Ca(2+) levels and CaMKII enzyme activity within the same egg populations.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Utilized a CaMKII antagonist to assess its role in cortical granule (CG) exocytosis and meiosis resumption.

    • Main Results:

    • CaMKII activity showed a rapid, transient response to each induced Ca(2+) increase, peaking within 5 minutes.
    • A single Ca(2+) transient increased CaMKII activity by 185% in fertilized eggs.
    • CaMKII inhibition blocked CG exocytosis and meiosis resumption, while induced Ca(2+) transients caused significant CG loss.

    Conclusions:

    • CaMKII activity is highly sensitive to Ca(2+) oscillations, supporting its role in egg activation.
    • Oscillating CaMKII activity likely provides temporal regulation for key events in mammalian egg activation following fertilization.