Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Meiotic Spindle Assessment in Mouse Oocytes by siRNA-mediated Silencing
Published on: October 11, 2015
Zinc availability regulates exit from meiosis in maturing mammalian oocytes
Alison M Kim1, Stefan Vogt, Thomas V O'Halloran
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
Cellular metal ion fluxes are known in alkali and alkaline earth metals but are not well documented in transition metals. Here we describe major changes in the zinc physiology of the mammalian oocyte as it matures and initiates embryonic development. Single-cell elemental analysis of mouse oocytes by synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) revealed a 50% increase in total zinc content within the 12-14-h period of meiotic maturation. Perturbation of zinc homeostasis with a cell-permeable small-molecule chelator blocked meiotic progression past telophase I. Zinc supplementation rescued this phenotype when administered before this meiotic block. However, after telophase arrest, zinc triggered parthenogenesis, suggesting that exit from this meiotic step is tightly regulated by the availability of a zinc-dependent signal. These results implicate the zinc bolus acquired during meiotic maturation as an important part of the maternal legacy to the embryo.
Related Concept Videos
Meiosis II
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
Meiosis II
Oogenesis
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...
Oogenesis
Meiosis I
Prophase I is the most extended and complex step of meiosis I characterized by synapsis, chromosome pairing, and recombination of the homologous chromosomes. This process is facilitated by a proteinaceous structure called the...
Meiosis I

