The role of IP3 receptor channel clustering in Ca2+ wave propagation during oocyte maturation

During oocyte maturation, the calcium-signaling machinery undergoes a dramatic remodeling resulting in distinctly different calcium-release patterns on all organizational scales from puffs to waves. The dynamics of the Ca(2+) release wave in mature as compared to immature oocytes are defined by a slower propagation speed and longer duration of the high Ca(2+) plateau. In this chapter, we use computational modeling to identify the changes in the signaling machinery, which contribute most significantly to the alterations observed in Ca(2+) wave propagation during Xenopus oocyte maturation. In addition to loss of store-operated calcium entry and internalization of plasma membrane pumps, we propose that spatial reorganization of the IP3 receptors in the plane of the ER membrane is a key factor for the observed signaling changes in Ca(2+) wave propagation.