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Divalent cation influx and calcium homeostasis in germinal vesicle mouse oocytes.

ABSTRACT: Prior to maturation, mouse oocytes are arrested at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage during which they experience constitutive calcium (Ca²⁺) influx and spontaneous Ca²⁺ oscillations. The oscillations cease during maturation but Ca²⁺ influx continues, as the oocytes' internal stores attain maximal content at the culmination of maturation, the metaphase II stage. The identity of the channel(s) that underlie this Ca²⁺ influx has not been completely determined. GV and matured oocytes are known to express three Ca²⁺ channels, Ca_V3.2, TRPV3 and TRPM7, but females null for each of these channels are fertile and their oocytes display minor modifications in Ca²⁺ homeostasis, suggesting a complex regulation of Ca²⁺ influx. To define the contribution of these channels at the GV stage, we used different divalent cations, pharmacological inhibitors and genetic models. We found that the three channels are active at this stage. Ca_V3.2 and TRPM7 channels contributed the majority of Ca²⁺ influx, as inhibitors and oocytes from homologous knockout (KO) lines showed severely reduced Ca²⁺ entry. Sr²⁺ influx was promoted by Ca_V3.2 channels, as Sr²⁺ oscillations were negligible in Ca_V3.2-KO oocytes but robust in control and Trpv3-KO GV oocytes. Mn²⁺ entry relied on expression of Ca_V3.2 and TRPM7 channels, but Ni²⁺ entry depended on the latter. Ca_V3.2 and TRPV3 channels combined to fill the Ca²⁺ stores, although Ca_V3.2 was the most impactful. Studies with pharmacological inhibitors effectively blocked the influx of divalent cations, but displayed off-target effects, and occasionally agonist-like properties. In conclusion, GV oocytes express channels mediating Ca²⁺ and other divalent cation influx that are pivotal for fertilization and early development. These channels may serve as targets for intervention to improve the success of assisted reproductive technologies.

SUBMITTER: Ardestani G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7153984 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Ca(2+) oscillations are a hallmark of mammalian fertilization and play a central role in the activation of development. The calcium required for these oscillations is primarily derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which accumulates in clusters at the microvillar subcortex during oocyte maturation. The migration of the ER to the cortex during maturation is thought to play an important role in rendering the ER competent to generate the calcium transients, and the redistribution of ER is believed to be primarily mediated by microtubules and microfilaments. We have previously shown that the oocyte- and early embryo-restricted maternal effect gene Mater (Nlrp5) localizes to, and is required for, formation of the oocyte cytoplasmic lattices, a tubulin-containing structure that appears to play an important role in organelle positioning and distribution during oocyte maturation. Given these observations, we hypothesized that Mater may also be required for ER redistribution and Ca(2+) homeostasis in oocytes. To test this hypothesis, we first investigated ER localization in metaphase-II Mater(tm/tm) (hypomorph) oocytes and found ER clusters to be less abundant at the microvillar cortex when compared to wild type oocytes. To examine the potential mechanisms by which MATER mediates ER redistribution, we tested whether tubulin expression levels and localization were affected in the mutant oocytes and found that the Triton-insoluble fraction of tubulin was significantly decreased in Mater(tm/tm) oocytes. To identify potential functional defects associated with these ER abnormalities, we next set out to investigate if the pattern of Ca(2+) oscillations was altered in Mater(tm/tm) oocytes after fertilization in vitro. Intriguingly, Ca(2+) oscillations in Mater(tm/tm) oocytes exhibited a significantly lower first peak amplitude and a higher frequency when compared to wild type oocytes. We then found that the Ca(2+) oscillation defect in Mater(tm/tm) oocytes was likely caused by a reduced amount of Ca(2+) in the ER stores. Taken together, these observations support the hypothesis that MATER is required for ER distribution and Ca(2+) homeostasis in oocytes, likely due to defects in lattice-mediated ER positioning and/or redistribution.

Project description:In mammals, totipotent pre-implantation embryos are formed by fusion of highly differentiated oocytes and spermatozoa. Acquisition of totipotency concurs with remodeling of chromatin states of parental genomes (M-bM-^@M-^\epigenetic reprogrammingM-bM-^@M-^]), changes in maternally contributed transcriptome and proteome, and zygotic genome activation. Genomes of mature germ cells are more proficient in supporting embryonic development than those of somatic cells. It is currently unknown whether transgenerational inheritance of chromatin states present in mature gametes underlies the efficacy of early embryonic development after natural conception. Here, we show that Ring1 and Rnf2, two core components of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1), serve redundant gene regulatory functions during oogenesis that are required to support embryonic development beyond the two-cell stage. Numerous developmental regulatory genes that are established Polycomb targets in various somatic cell types are de-repressed in Ring1/Rnf2 double mutant (dm) fully grown germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes. Translation of tested aberrant maternal transcripts is, however, delayed until after fertilization. Exchange of maternal pro-nuclei between control and Ring1/Rnf2 maternally dm early zygotes demonstrates an essential role for Ring1 and Rnf2 during oogenesis in defining cytoplasmic and nuclear maternal contributions that are both essential for proper initiation of embryonic development. A large number of genes up-regulated in Ring1/Rnf2 dm GV oocytes harbor PRC2-mediated histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) in spermatozoa and in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and are repressed during normal oogenesis and early embryogenesis. These data strongly support the model that Polycomb acts in the female and male germline to silence differentiation inducing genes and to program chromatin states, thereby sustaining developmental potential across generations. Expression profiling of fully grown mouse GV oocytes was performed with the following genotypes: Ring1+/+Rnf2F/F (control), Ring1-/-Rnf2F/F (Ring1 mutant), Ring1+/+Rnf2F/FZp3-cre (Rnf2 mutant) and Ring1-/-Rnf2F/FZp3-cre (Ring1/Rnf2 double mutant). 12 samples were analyzed: 3 biological replicates of each of the 4 genotypes (Ring1+/+Rnf2F/F (control), Ring1-/-Rnf2F/F (Ring1 mutant), Ring1+/+Rnf2F/FZp3-cre (Rnf2 mutant) and Ring1-/-Rnf2F/FZp3-cre (Ring1/Rnf2 double mutant)). Each sample contains 50 GV oocytes.

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Divalent cation influx and calcium homeostasis in germinal vesicle mouse oocytes.

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