title: Signaling through protein kinases during egg activation.
abstract: Following penetration of the zona pellucida, the mammalian spermatozoon binds and fuses with the egg plasma membrane, thereby fertilizing the egg that is still arrested at the second metaphase. Fertilization initiates in the egg a sequence of events referred to as 'egg activation'. An initial increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) appears to be the very early cellular event observed which leads to the cortical granules exocytosis and resumption of meiosis. Various treatments can induce parthenogenetic activation mimicking at least part of the fertilization events. Similar to somatic cells, studies in mammalian eggs suggest that signal transduction pathways mediate egg activation. The initial increase in [Ca(2+)](i) appears to be critical for egg activation. However, other messengers such as protein kinase C (PKC) and protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), were suggested as possible inducers of some aspects of egg activation. In the present work, studies concerning the involvement of protein kinases during egg activation in our laboratory and in others are summarized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Embryology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv 69978, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Efrat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eliyahu
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Talmor-Cohen
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shalgi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D005089:Exocytosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D010063:Ovum / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D019061:src-Family Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011494:Protein Kinases; D019061:src-Family Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C