Egg activation events are regulated by the duration of a sustained [Ca 2+] cyt signal in the mouse

Abstract

Although the dynamics of oscillations of cytosolic Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+] cyt) play important roles in early mammalian development, the impact of the duration when [Ca 2+] cyt is elevated is not known. To determine the sensitivity of fertilization-associated responses [i.e., cortical granule exocytosis, resumption of the cell cycle, Ca 2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) activity, recruitment of maternal mRNAs] and developmental competence of the parthenotes to the duration of a [Ca 2+] cyt transient, unfertilized mouse eggs were subjected to a prolonged [Ca 2+] cyt change for 15, 25, or 50 min by means of repetitive Ca 2+ electropermeabilization at 2-min intervals. The initiation and completion of fertilization-associated responses are correlated with the duration of time in which the [Ca 2+] cyt is elevated, with the exception that autonomous CaMKII activity is down-regulated with prolonged elevated [Ca 2+] cyt. Activated eggs from 25- or 50-min treatments readily develop to the blastocyst stage with no sign of apoptosis or necrosis and some implant. Ca 2+ influx into unfertilized eggs causes neither Ca 2+ release from intracellular stores nor rapid removal of cytosolic Ca 2+. Thus, the total Ca 2+ signal input appears to be an important regulatory parameter that ensures completion of fertilization-associated events and oocytes have a surprising degree of tolerance for a prolonged change in [Ca 2+] cyt.