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Related Concept Videos

Fertilization01:38

Fertilization

During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration01:27

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration

Calcium is an essential signaling molecule required for various cellular functions. Calcium pumps and ion channels on cell and organellar membranes, such as those on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), regulate calcium concentrations inside the cell. They remain closed, keeping the cytosolic calcium levels low at a resting state.
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Cleavage and Blastulation01:33

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling01:16

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER01:28

Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER

Biological membranes are more than just a barrier separating cell cytoplasm from the outside environment. They are highly dynamic and help maintain the integrity and physiological stability of the cells as well as membrane-bound organelles. Membranes also play vital roles in cell-to-cell and intracellular communication.
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...

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In Vivo Visualization of Calcium Transients during Fertilization and Early Development in C. elegans
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Calcium pathway machinery at fertilization in echinoderms.

Isabela Ramos1, Gary M Wessel

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

Cell Calcium
|December 11, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Fertilization triggers conserved calcium waves essential for egg activation. This study evaluates the roles of inositol trisphosphate (IP3), cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) in echinoderm egg fertilization calcium signals.

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Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Reproductive Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Calcium signaling is crucial for physiological processes, with calcium waves at fertilization being a highly conserved event for egg activation.
  • Echinoderm eggs utilize three primary intracellular calcium (Ca2+) mobilizing messengers: inositol trisphosphate (IP3), cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP).
  • While the IP3 pathway is well-understood, cADPR and NAADP roles in egg activation remain understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the coupling and functional roles of different calcium messengers, intracellular stores, and channels in forming the fertilization calcium wave in echinoderms.
  • To investigate the understudied roles of cADPR and NAADP in egg activation.
  • To explore the mechanisms of calcium release from acidic vesicles by NAADP and its targets, two-pore channels (TPCs).

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing sea urchin egg homogenates and intact echinoderm oocytes/eggs as experimental systems.
  • Investigating the synthesis of cADPR and NAADP by ADP-ribosyl cyclases (ARCs).
  • Analyzing the release of Ca2+ from acidic vesicles by NAADP and its interaction with TPCs.

Main Results:

  • NAADP mobilizes Ca2+ from acidic vesicles, distinct from the endoplasmic reticulum.
  • Two-pore channels (TPCs) are identified as likely targets for NAADP.
  • The ADP-ribosyl cyclase (ARC) enzyme family synthesizes both cADPR and NAADP.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a critical evaluation of the roles of IP3, cADPR, and NAADP in echinoderm fertilization calcium waves.
  • Understanding the interplay between different calcium messengers, stores, and channels is vital for comprehending egg activation.
  • NAADP's action via TPCs and its synthesis by ARCs represent significant recent advancements in calcium signaling research.