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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

In Vivo Visualization of Calcium Transients during Fertilization and Early Development in C. elegans
Published on: July 12, 2024
Signal transduction at fertilization: the Ca2+ release pathway in echinoderms and other invertebrate deuterostomes
Ian K Townley1, Michelle M Roux, Kathy R Foltz
1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and the Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106-9610, USA.
Abstract:
Gamete interaction and fusion triggers a number of events that lead to egg activation and development of a new organism. A key event at fertilization is the rise in intracellular calcium. In deuterostomes, this calcium is released from the egg's endoplasmic reticulum and is necessary for proper activation. This article reviews recent data regarding how gamete interaction triggers the initial calcium release, focusing on the echinoderms (invertebrate deuterostomes) as model systems. In eggs of these animals, Src-type kinases and phospholipase C-gamma are required components of the initial calcium trigger pathway in eggs.
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