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Gamete Interactions and the Initiation of Egg Activation in Sea Urchins

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Mechanism of Fertilization: Plants to Humans

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIH,volume 45))

Abstract

The earliest perceivable response of echinoid eggs to the fertilizing sperm is a transient depolarization, the activation or fertilization potential (Steinhardt et al., 1971; Jaffe, 1976; Chambers and de Armendi, 1979). This change in electrical activity involves the appearance of sperm associated ion channels, which depolarize the plasma membrane, as well as the opening of voltage-dependent calcium channels (Chambers and de Armendi, 1979). These changes constitute Phase 1 (Lynn et al., 1988; Chambers, 1989). In voltage clamped eggs, sperm which induce Phase 1 either enter or fail to enter the egg. If sperm penetration occurs, the inward current of Phase 1, initiating Phase 2, continues to increase; if sperm penetration fails to occur the inward current is abruptly severed. During Phase 2 a large, rapid and transient increase in intracellular free calcium (Steinhardt and Epel, 1974; Steinhardt et al., 1977; Whitaker and Steinhardt, 1982; Jaffe, 1983) propagates in the form of a wave from the point of gamete interaction to the opposite pole of the egg (Eisen et al., 1984; Swan and Whitaker, 1986; Yoshimoto et al., 1987). This wave of increased intracellular calcium is initiated following a latent period (Phase 1) of approximately 12 sec and stimulates the egg from its quiescent state to proliferation and embryogenesis (Chambers, 1989).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Frank J. Longo & Susan Cook

  2. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, The University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33101, USA

    David H. McCulloh, Pedro I. Ivonnet & Edward L. Chambers

Authors
  1. Frank J. Longo
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  2. Susan Cook
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  3. David H. McCulloh
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  4. Pedro I. Ivonnet
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  5. Edward L. Chambers
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stazione Zoologica, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy

    Brian Dale

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Longo, F.J., Cook, S., McCulloh, D.H., Ivonnet, P.I., Chambers, E.L. (1990). Gamete Interactions and the Initiation of Egg Activation in Sea Urchins. In: Dale, B. (eds) Mechanism of Fertilization: Plants to Humans. NATO ASI Series, vol 45. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-83965-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-83965-8_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-83967-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-83965-8

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