During animal fertilizations, each oocyte or egg must produce a proper intracellular calcium
signal for development to proceed normally. As a supplement to recent synopses of …

Fertilization calcium waves are introduced, and the evidence from which we can infer
general mechanisms of these waves is presented. The two main classes of hypotheses put …

The role of calcium in cortical granule exocytosis and activation of the cell cycle at
fertilization was examined in the mouse egg using the calcium chelator BAPTA (1, 2-bis (o …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses oocyte maturation. The outstanding
phenomenon associated with sexual reproduction in animals is that every cell of an …

Over the past 30 years, numerous studies in invertebrates and vertebrates have established
a role of calcium in oocyte maturation as well as in the resumption and progression of …

In mammals, sperm–oocyte fusion initiates Ca2+ oscillations leading to a series of events
called oocyte activation, which is the first stage of embryo development. Ca2+ signaling is …

Aequorin-injected eggs of the medaka (a fresh water fish) show an explosive rise in free
calcium during fertilization, which is followed by a slow return to the resting level. Image …

A centrally important factor in initiating egg activation at fertilization is a rise in free Ca2+ in
the egg cytosol. In echinoderm, ascidian, and vertebrate eggs, the Ca2+ rise occurs as a …

OOCYTES of many species undergo parthenogenetic activation after exposure to the
calcium ionophore, A23187, even in the absence of external Ca2+ (refs 1 and 2), whereas …

We have used the calcium-specific light-emitting protein aequorin to follow changes in free
calcium concentration during fertilization and cleavage of eggs from medaka, a fresh-water …