- Title
- Ca²⁺ release and the development of Ca²⁺ release mechanisms during oocyte maturation: a prelude to fertilization
- Creator
- Carroll, John; Jones, Keith T.; Whittingham, David G.
- Relation
- Reviews of Reproduction Vol. 1, Issue 3, p. 137-143
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1530/ror.0.0010137
- Publisher
- Society for Reproduction and Fertility
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 1996
- Description
- Oogenesis involves the production of an oocyte that can undergo fertilization and support early development. The stimulus that initiates embryogenesis is an increase in the concentration of intracellular Ca²⁺ in the cytoplasm of the oocyte at the time of fertilization. The development of the ability of the oocyte to release Ca²⁺ in response to the fertilizing spermatozoon is an essential step in the process of oogenesis. Mammalian oocytes are particularly useful for studying the development of Ca²⁺ signalling systems, owing to the series of Ca²⁺ oscillations generated at fertilization, compared with the monotonic Ca²⁺ increase seen in nonmammalian species. Recent evidence has revealed that Ca²⁺ release mechanisms are modified during oogenesis. The maximal sensitivity of Ca²⁺ release is reached in the final stages of oocyte maturation, just before the optimal time for fertilization. In this review, we consider the mechanism underlying Ca²⁺ release in mammalian oocytes and discuss how the release mechanisms are modified during oocyte maturation. The tight co-ordination of the differentiation of the Ca²⁺ signalling system with the development of the oocyte provides a means of ensuring successful activation at the time of fertilization. Finally, we consider the consequences for embryo development in circumstances in which the co-ordination is lost.
- Subject
- Ca²⁺; oogenesis; fertilization; oocyte maturation; embryo development
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/804162
- Identifier
- uon:6540
- Identifier
- ISSN:1359-6004
- Language
- eng
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