The ability of whale haploid spermatogenic cells to induce calcium oscillations and its relevance to oocyte activation

• Published in: Zygote
• Main Authors: Amemiya, K., Hirabayashi, M., Ishikawa, H., Fukui, Y., Hochi, S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2007
• Subjects: Cell Biology; Developmental Biology; Antarctic; Antarctic Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; minke whale
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0967199406004047; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0967199406004047

Summary Interspecies microinsemination assay was applied to examine the ability of minke whale haploid spermatogenic cells to induce Ca 2+ oscillations and oocyte activation. Populations of round spermatids (RS), early-stage elongating spermatids (e-ES), late-stage elongating spermatids (1-ES) and testicular spermatozoa (TS) were cryopreserved in the presence of 7.5% glycerol on board ship in the Antarctic Ocean. Repetitive increases of intracellular Ca 2+ concentration occurred in 0, 65, 81 and 96% of BDF1 mouse oocytes injected with the postthaw RS, e-ES, 1-ES and TS, respectively. A normal pattern of the Ca 2+ oscillations was observed in 26–47% of the responding oocytes. Most oocytes that exhibited Ca 2+ oscillations, regardless of the oscillation pattern, resumed meiosis (83–94%). These results indicate that whale spermatogenic cells acquire SOAF activity, which is closely related to their Ca 2+ oscillation-inducing ability at the relatively early stage of spermiogenesis.