@article{MAKHILLJAVA201211143586,
    title = {Spatiotemporal Dynamincs and Concentrations of Intracellular Free-Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> 
  in <I>in vitro</I> Matured and <I>in vitro</I> Fertilized Bovine Oocytes and 
  Very Early Embryo Stages},
    journal = {Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances},
    volume = {11},
    number = {14},
    pages = {2516-2522},
    year = {2012},
    issn = {1680-5593},
    doi = {javaa.2012.2516.2522},
    url = {https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?issn=1680-5593&doi=javaa.2012.2516.2522},
    author = {Huanmin,Lu,Dong and},
    keywords = {Bovine,oocyte,calcium,in vitro fertilization,IVF embryo,China},
    abstract = {This study aimed to measure the concentration of intracytoplasmic free-Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> in the <I>in vitro</I> matured bovine oocytes at MII stage and in the <I>in vitro</I> fertilized embryos at early different developmental stages 0 h (fertilization), 2 and 15 h (pronucleus stage) and 48 h (2-cell stage) after fertilization using Fura-2/AM as a Ca<SUP>2+ </SUP>fluorescent probe and to investigate Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> spatial distribution in the intracytoplasm of bovine eggs at MII stage and 0, 2, 15 and 48 h after fertilization using Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> fluorescent probe Fluo-3/AM. Meanwhile, the fertilized eggs were cultured in Ca<SUP>2+</SUP>-free culture medium to examine the effects of extracellular Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> on the early embryo development. The results indicated that the intracellular Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> concentrations of the bovine oocytes at MII stage and 0, 2, 15 and 48 h after fertilization were 84.99 nmol L<SUP>-1</SUP> and 120.05, 229.09, 108.73 and 111.17 nmol L<SUP>-1</SUP>, respectively. No pronuleus or cleft eggs were found when cultured in Ca<SUP>2+</SUP>-free culture medium. These results suggested that the fertilization induced intracytoplasmic free-Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> increase that pronucleus formation and egg cleavage were Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> dependent that extracellular Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> performed a specific function for the initiation of zygote development and that comparatively, a high level of Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> concentrations was still maintained after pronucleus formation. Moreover, the spatial profile of fluorescence expression illustrated that a low density free-Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> were homogenously distributed in the cytoplasm of oocytes at MII stage, the Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> were concentrated at the cortex zone under the egg plasma membrane at fertilization, the Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> intensity enhanced and spread towards the center of egg from edge at 2 h after fertilization and the Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> were distributed in whole cytoplasm at pronucleus and first cleavage stage. These results demonstrated that extracellular Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> is essential for normal embryonic development and also, confirm that Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> increase is required for bovine oocyte activation at fertilization.}
    }