Several events are associated with fertilization in oocytes. Two such events are an increase in cytoplasmic Ca concentration and the resumption of meiosis. Oocytes of the marine annelid, Pectinaria gouldii, are in metaphase I arrest when they are spawned. In this report we investigate the relationship between Ca and resumption of meiosis in this species. Meiosis in unfertilized oocytes could be re-initiated with the divalent cation ionophore, A23187. Oocytes in Ca free sea water, however, did not resume meiosis in the presence of the ionophore. Furthermore, it was observed that Ca must be present for at least 15 min following ionophore treatment for meiosis to resume. These results suggest that extracellular Ca is required for the re-initiation of meiosis in this species.
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Mamm Genome
January 2025
CNRS, INSERM, CELPHEDIA, Institut Clinique de la Souris (ICS), Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, PHENOMIN, France.
Genome editing, in particular the CRISPR/Cas9 system, is widely used to generate new animal models. However, the generation of mutations, such as conditional knock-out or knock-in, can remain complex and inefficient, in particular because of the difficulty to deliver the donor DNA (single or double stranded) into the nucleus of fertilized oocytes. The use of recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) as donor DNA is a rapidly developing approach that promises to improve the efficiency of creation of animal models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent advances in embryology have shown that the sister blastomeres of 2-cell mouse and human embryos differ reciprocally in potency. An open question is whether the blastomeres became different as opposed to originating as different. Here we wanted to test two conflicting models: one proposing that each blastomere contains both animal and vegetal materials in balanced proportions because the plane of first cleavage runs close to the animal-vegetal axis of the fertilized oocyte; and the other model proposing that each blastomere contains variable proportions of animal and vegetal materials because the plane of the first cleavage can vary depending on the topology of fertilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCochrane Database Syst Rev
January 2025
Institute of Education in Healthcare and Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
Background: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) are commonly used in assisted reproduction technology (ART) cycles to prevent a luteinising hormone (LH) surge during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) prior to planned oocyte retrieval, thus optimising the chances of live birth. We compared the benefits and risks of the different GnRHa protocols used.
Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different GnRHa protocols used as adjuncts to COH in women undergoing ART.
Biology (Basel)
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Hydrobiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
Alternative splicing of (DEAD-box helicase 4), a key germline marker gene, has been reported to generate sex-specific transcripts in zebrafish gonads. The biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of the ovary-specific transcript () during oogenesis remain unclear. In this study, we found that mutants, in which was specifically deleted, had enlarged ovaries but laid fewer eggs, along with having a lower fertilization rate compared to WT controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
HHMI, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
During meiosis, each pair of homologous chromosomes becomes connected by at least one crossover, as required for accurate segregation, and adjacent crossovers are widely separated thereby limiting total numbers. In coarsening models, this crossover patterning results from nascent recombination sites competing to accrue a limiting pro-crossover RING-domain protein (COR) that diffuses between synapsed chromosomes. Here, we delineate the localization dynamics of three mammalian CORs in the mouse and determine their interdependencies.
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