Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Free calcium increases explosively in activating medaka eggs.

E B Ridgway, J C Gilkey, L F Jaffe

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
    |February 1, 1977
    PubMed
    Summary

    Fertilization rapidly elevates free calcium in medaka eggs by over 10,000-fold, triggered by sperm-induced calcium release. This rapid calcium increase is crucial for egg activation and early development.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    High Calcium Zones at the Poles of Developing Medaka Eggs.

    The Biological bulletin·2018
    Same author

    Calcium Buffer Injections Block Cytokinesis in Xenopus Eggs.

    The Biological bulletin·2018
    Same author

    Towards the Development of a Technique for Introducing Aequorin into Amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum Via Electroporation.

    The Biological bulletin·2018
    Same author

    A Region of Steady High Calcium at the Vegetal Pole of Medaka Eggs.

    The Biological bulletin·2018
    Same author

    KCl-Induced Calcium Rise in Squid Eggs: Measurement of Fura-2 Fluorescence.

    The Biological bulletin·2018
    Same author

    Differences in Free Calcium Concentration Between Oocytes and Nurse Cells Revealed by Corrected Aequorin Luminescence.

    The Biological bulletin·2018

    Area of Science:

    • Developmental Biology
    • Cellular Physiology
    • Biochemistry

    Background:

    • Free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]) plays a critical role in cellular processes.
    • Understanding calcium dynamics during fertilization is key to comprehending egg activation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the changes in free calcium concentration during medaka egg fertilization and cleavage.
    • To elucidate the mechanism of sperm-induced calcium release.

    Main Methods:

    • Utilized the calcium-specific photoprotein aequorin for real-time monitoring of intracellular calcium.
    • Injected aequorin into medaka eggs for luminescence-based calcium measurements.
    • Stimulated eggs with sperm and the ionophore A23187 to observe calcium responses.

    Related Experiment Videos

    Main Results:

    • Medaka eggs exhibited a low resting luminescence, indicating low basal intracellular calcium.
    • Sperm activation caused a rapid, 10,000-fold increase in luminescence, signifying a massive calcium release.
    • Ionophore A23187 induced a slower initial rise but a similarly rapid subsequent increase once a threshold was met.
    • Observed a rapid return to resting calcium levels after the initial surge.

    Conclusions:

    • The explosive rise in intracellular calcium during fertilization is likely mediated by calcium-stimulated calcium release.
    • Sperm likely initiates fertilization by inducing a localized, modest calcium increase, triggering a larger calcium-stimulated release.
    • This calcium signaling cascade is fundamental for successful egg activation and subsequent embryonic development.