Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-7-28
pubmed:abstractText
The activation of the egg to begin development into an embryo is triggered by a sperm-induced increase in intracellular egg Ca2+. There has been much controversy about how the sperm induces this fundamental developmental event, but recent studies suggest that, in mammals, egg activation is triggered by a testis-specific phospholipase C: PLCzeta. Since the discovery of PLCzeta, it has been unclear whether its role in triggering egg activation is common to all vertebrates, or is confined to mammals. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that PLCzeta is present in a non-mammalian vertebrate. Using genomic and cDNA databases, we have identified the cDNA encoding a PLCzeta orthologue in the domestic chicken that, like the mammalian isoforms, is a testis-specific gene. The chicken PLCzeta cDNA is 2152 bp in size and encodes an open reading frame of 639 amino acids. When injected into mouse oocytes, chicken PLCzeta cRNA triggers Ca2+ oscillations, indicating that it has functional properties similar to those of mammalian PLCzeta. Our findings suggest that PLCzeta may have a universal role in triggering egg activation in vertebrates.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
1470-1626
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
130
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
157-63
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-8-13
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Amino Acid Sequence, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Base Sequence, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Calcium, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Chickens, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-DNA, Complementary, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Female, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Gene Transfer Techniques, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Haplorhini, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-In Situ Hybridization, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Male, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Mice, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Microinjections, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Microscopy, Fluorescence, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Molecular Sequence Data, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Oocytes, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-RNA, Complementary, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Sperm-Ovum Interactions, pubmed-meshheading:16049153-Testis
pubmed:year
2005
pubmed:articleTitle
Phospholipase Czeta, the trigger of egg activation in mammals, is present in a non-mammalian species.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK. kevin.coward@pharm.ox.ac.uk
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't