Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: Mature mouse oocytes, arrested at meiotic metaphase II (MII), are activated by a series of Ca2+ oscillations caused by sperm-specific phospholipase C zeta (PLCz) which has been shown to localize in cytoplasmic vesicles. The substrate for PLCz, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), is also present in cytoplasmic vesicles in MII oocytes. Throughout oocyte maturation there is reported to be a gradual increase in sensitivity to PLCz and ...

Introduction: Sperm-specific phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) is widely considered to be the physiological stimulus that evokes intracellular calcium (Ca2+) oscillations that are essential for the initiation of egg activation and early embryonic development during mammalian fertilization. Sperm-delivered PLCζ hydrolyses phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) stores within the ooplasm, triggering Ca2+ oscillations through the inositol...

Introduction: Mammalian oocyte activation is mediated via a series of intracellular calcium oscillations induced by a sperm-specific phospholipase C, PLCzeta (PLCζ). PLCζ presents significant promise as a clinical therapeutic for some forms of male infertility. However, the utility of PLCζ as a potent diagnostic tool for human sperm remains undefined. Furthermore, considerable variation in reported PLCζ localization patterns in sperm highlight the necessity...