Publications by authors named "Yui Kawata"
Zinc is an essential trace element for various physiological functions, including reproduction. The influx/efflux of zinc ions is regulated by zinc transporters (Zip1-14 and ZnT1-8, 10). However, the precise roles of zinc transporters and zinc dynamics in reproductive functions are unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring mammalian fertilization, repetitive intracellular Ca increases known as Ca oscillations occur. These oscillations are considered crucial for successful fertilization and subsequent embryonic development. Numerous researchers have endeavored to elucidate the factors responsible for inducing Ca oscillations across various mammalian species.
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- Vitrification is a technology that allows for the long-term preservation and transportation of both genetically modified and native animal embryos, particularly effective in laboratory mice.
- While there have been many studies on applying vitrification to livestock, it hasn't been practically utilized yet, despite the growing interest due to advancements in genome editing.
- The article provides an overview of recent advancements in vitrification for livestock, compares it to current methods used for laboratory animals, and discusses its future benefits and challenges.
Article Synopsis
- Calcium oscillations are crucial for fully activating oocytes during mammalian fertilization, and sperm-specific phospholipase C (PLCζ) is vital for inducing these oscillations; mutations in PLCζ can lead to male infertility.
- Sperm lacking PLCζ can induce some calcium rises after IVF but not during intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), resulting in poor development of oocytes in ICSI situations.
- Additional treatments, such as injecting PLCζ mRNA or applying SrCl, significantly improve pronuclear formation and development to the two-cell stage in oocytes injected with PLCζ-deficient sperm, leading to the production of healthy pups after embryo transfer.