Related Experiment Videos
Mechanical property characterization of mouse zona pellucida
Yu Sun1, Kai-Tak Wan, Kenneth P Roberts
1Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Ch-8092 Zürich, Switzerland. sun@iris.mavt.ethz.ch
IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience
|September 21, 2004
Summary
Fertilization significantly hardens the mouse zona pellucida (ZP), making it mechanically stronger. This study quantifies ZP mechanical property changes after fertilization using advanced force sensing techniques.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Biomaterials science
- Microrobotics
Background:
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) success rates vary across species.
- The mouse zona pellucida (ZP) hardens post-fertilization to prevent polyspermy.
- Limited research quantifies mechanical changes in the ZP after fertilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize mechanical properties of the mouse ZP.
- To quantify mechanical differences of the ZP before and after fertilization.
Main Methods:
- Developed a microelectromechanical systems-based multiaxis cellular force sensor.
- Utilized a microrobotic cell manipulation system for ZP force sensing.
- Constructed an analytical biomembrane elastic model.
Main Results:
- The elastic modulus of fertilized embryos (ZP) was 2.3 times higher than that of oocytes.
- Puncturing forces for embryo ZP were 1.7 times higher than for oocyte ZP.
- Established quantitative relationships between force and deformation for ZP.
Conclusions:
- Fertilization significantly increases the mechanical stiffness and strength of the mouse ZP.
- The developed force sensing technique and elastic model can assess biomembrane mechanics.
- This approach is applicable to studying other biomembranes, including oocyte plasma membranes.