title: Intracellular Ca2+ response of rabbit oocytes to electrical stimulation.
abstract: Electrical stimulation is known to cause activation in mammalian oocytes, possibly by eliciting an elevation in intracellular calcium (Ca2+). This study reports intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in mature rabbit oocytes using the Ca2+ indicator fura-2. Calcium levels were determined prior to, during, and after the administration of an electrical pulse (3.6 kV/cm for 60 microseconds). Baseline Ca2+ levels ranged from 30 to 90 nM. The intracellular Ca2+ transient evoked by a pulse, peaked at 11 sec, was highly variable in amplitude (40-300 nM) and returned to prepulse levels within 300 sec. Electrically stimulated oocytes did not exhibit repetitive Ca2+ transients. The size of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ rise was influenced by the duration of the pulse, the field strength and the concentrations of external Ca2+ rise was influenced by the duration of the pulse, the field strength and the concentrations of external Ca2+ (P less than 0.05). Oocytes electrically stimulated in the presence of 100 microM CaCl2, which evoked Ca2+ transients with a mean magnitude of 120 nM, activated at a higher rate (P less than 0.05) than oocytes stimulated in the presence of either higher or lower levels of external Ca2+. Although oocytes electrically shocked at 16-18 hr after administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hphCG) activated at a lower rate than oocytes stimulated at 22-24 hphCG (P less than 0.05), their intracellular Ca2+ response to the pulse was similar (P less than 0.05). These results indicate that electrical pulse parameters and extracellular Ca2+ concentrations can be used to modulate intracellular Ca2+ levels and optimize oocyte activation rates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fissore
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Robl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D016257:Fura-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D008540:Meiosis; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010060:Ovulation; D011817:Rabbits; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2