Toggle Main Menu Toggle Search

Open Access padlockePrints

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II triggers mouse egg activation and embryo development in the absence of Ca2+ oscillations

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Suzanne Madgwick, Professor Keith Jones

Downloads

Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.


Abstract

Fertilization in mammalian eggs is accompanied by oscillatory changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, which are critical for initiating and completing egg activation events and the developmental program. Ca2+/Camodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a multifunctional enzyme that is postulated to be the downstream transducer of the Ca2+ signal in many cell types. We tested the hypothesis that CaMKII is the major integrator of Ca2+-induced egg activation events and embryo development by microinjecting a cRNA that encodes a constitutively active (Ca2+-independent) mutant form of CaMKII (CA-CaMKII) into mouse eggs. Expression of this cRNA, which does not increase intracellular Ca2+, induced a sustained rise in CaMKII activity and triggered egg activation events, including cell cycle resumption, and degradation and recruitment of maternal mRNAs; cortical granule exocytosis, however, did not occur normally. Furthermore, when mouse eggs were injected with sperm devoid of Ca2+-releasing activity and activated with either CA-CaMKII cRNA or by SrCl2, similar rates and incidence of development to the blastocyst stage were observed. These results strongly suggest that CaMKII is a major integrator of the Ca2+ changes that occur following fertilization. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Knott JG, Gardner AJ, Madgwick S, Jones KT, Williams CJ, Schultz RM

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Developmental Biology

Year: 2006

Volume: 296

Issue: 2

Pages: 388-395

ISSN (print): 0012-1606

ISSN (electronic): 1095-564X

Publisher: Academic Press

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.06.004

DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.06.004

PubMed id: 16824507


Altmetrics

Altmetrics provided by Altmetric


Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
069236Wellcome Trust
HD 22732NICHD NIH HHS
HD 045671NICHD NIH HHS
T32 HD 007305NICHD NIH HHS

Share