化学联合激活可明显提高小鼠孤雌胚胎发育率

为探讨一种高效的小鼠卵母细胞孤雌激活的方案,进一步提高孤雌囊胚发育率。用不同浓度的氯化锶及不同作用时间的乙醇,并分别联合6-DMAP对不同卵龄小鼠卵母细胞进行活化,统计小鼠卵母细胞卵裂率和体外发育状况。结果显示,15～16h、18～19h和20～21h卵龄组卵母细胞经6mmol/LSrCl2联合6-DMAP处理后,三组的激活率随卵龄增长而升高,其中20～21h卵龄组显著高于15～16h、18～19h组(P<0.05),激活胚胎的发育率以18～19h时最高;6mmol/L和10mmol/L的SrCl2联合6-DMAP均能有效地激活小鼠卵母细胞,激活率分别为76.4%和83.6%,桑葚胚率分别为50.0%和56.3%;70ml/L乙醇联合6-DMAP以处理7min组获得了较好的激活率和囊胚发育率,分别为77.1%和42.4%,囊胚率均显著高于4min和10min处理组(P<0.05)。6-DMAP与SrCl2或乙醇联合应用可以有效抑制第二极体的排出,提高激活胚的二倍体比率;孤雌囊胚的平均细胞数显著低于正常受精囊胚(P<0.05)。不同激活方案对孤雌活化胚的核型和发育能力的作用差异较大,小鼠卵母细胞孤雌激活率与卵龄...     

乙醇及6-DMAP对小鼠卵母细胞孤雌激活的研究

实验研究了乙醇、6-DMAP以及二者联合使用时对注射hCG后18小时采集的小鼠卵母细胞孤雌激活的效果。结果证明:(1)用5％的乙醇分别作用5和10分钟及10％的乙醇分别作用5和10分钟,小鼠卵母细胞的孤雌激活率分别为41.3％、63.7％、57.9％和85.6％。说明在一定范围内,随着乙醇浓度和作用时间的增加,小鼠卵母细胞孤雌激活率有上升的趋势。(2)用2mM 6-DMAP作用2、4和6小时,小鼠卵母细胞的孤雌激活率分别为 12.0％、25.0％和40.0％。说明随着6-DMAP作用时间的增加,小鼠卵母细胞的孤雌激活率有所升高。(3)用5％乙醇作用5分钟,再用含有2mmol/L 6-DMAP的培养液培养6小时,小鼠卵母细胞的孤雌激活率可达65.5％,明显高于单独使用5％乙醇作用5分钟或单独使用2mmol/L 6-DMAP作用6小时卵母细胞的孤雌激活率。(4)用10％的乙醇作用5分钟,再用含有2mmol/L 6-DMAP的培养液培养6小时,小鼠卵母细胞的孤雌激活率达到100％,远远高于单独使用10％乙醇作用5分钟或单独使用2mmol/L 6-DMAP作用6小时卵母细胞的孤雌激活率。(5)在单独使用乙醇刺激时,激活卵母细胞中直接卵裂(2-细胞)的比率随乙醇作用强度的增加而增加,最高达62.5％;但6-DMAP则抑制激活卵母细胞的直接卵裂,增加二原核卵的比例。     

cAMP/PKA诱导卵母细胞减数分裂停滞的机制

大多数物种的卵母细胞在减数分裂前都要经历长时间停滞,其中cAMP对卵母细胞减数分裂停滞具有重要作用,本研究关注c AMP对卵母细胞减数分裂的影响及其机制。本研究通过将卵母细胞与cAMP预孵育,再用胰岛素刺激研究胰岛素诱导的卵母细胞成熟的影响,接着本研究通过显微注射和Zeiss 100TV显微镜分析cAMP对PKA在卵母细胞中定位的影响,并且本研究用Western blotting的方法研究cAMP/PKA对mos蛋白的表达和MAPK蛋白磷酸化的影响。结果显示,本研究通过亲和层析得到了高纯度的PKA蛋白,且cAMP/PKA能够抑制卵母细胞的成熟,而PKA的热稳定抑制剂PKI能够解除PKA对卵母细胞减数分裂的抑制,cAMP/PKA也能够影响mos的积累以及MAPK的磷酸化。cAMP能够影响PKA在卵母细胞中的定位,cAMP/PKA能够通过影响mos积累抑制卵母细胞的减数分裂,这可能与cAMP能够抑制MAPK磷酸化有关。     

体外受精和孤雌活化过程中小鼠胚胎细胞骨架的动态变化

为研究微管在体外受精与孤雌活化过程中的动态变化,本实验比较了体外受精胚胎、SrCl2激活的孤雌胚胎和体内受精的原核期胚胎在体外发育的情况,采用免疫荧光化学与激光共聚焦显微术检测卵母细胞孤雌活化过程中及体外受精后微管及核的动态变化,以分析微管在减数分裂过程中的作用及其对早期发育的影响.结果显示,体内受精胚胎的发育率显著高于体外受精和孤雌激活胚胎体外发育率(P<0.05),而体外受精与孤雌激活胚胎在各阶段发育率差异均不显著.在体外受精中,精子入卵,激活卵母细胞,减数分裂恢复,纺锤丝牵拉赤道板卜致密排列的母源染色体向纺锤体两侧迁移;后期将染色体拉向两极;末期时,微管分布于两组已去凝集的母源染色体之间,卵母细胞排出第二极体(the second polarbody,Pb2),解聚的母源染色体形成雌原核.同时,在受精后5～8 h精子染色质发生去浓缩与再浓缩,形成雄原核.在原核形成的同时,胞质星体在雌、雄原核的周围重组形成长的微管,负责雌、雄原核的迁移靠近.孤雌活化过程中,卵母细胞恢复减数分裂,姐妹染色单体分离,被拉向两极,经细胞松弛素B处理后,活化4～6 h,卵周隙中未见Pb2,而在胞质中出现两个混合的单倍体原核,之间由微管相连接,负责两个单倍体原核的迁移靠近.与体外受精相比较,孤雌活化时卵母细胞更容易被激活,减数分裂期间微管的发育早且更完善.     

核糖体S6蛋白激酶p90rsk与卵母细胞减数分裂

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)信号途径对减数分裂有重要调节作用,p90rsk是迄今研究最清楚的MAPK下游靶分子,介导MAPK途径在卵母细胞减数分裂中的多种功能,包括卵母细胞减数分裂的启动、MⅠ/MⅡ期转化和MⅡ期阻滞的维持等.p90rsk的磷酸化是MAPK激活的结果,而细胞退出减数分裂时,p90rsk的去磷酸化也发生在MAPK失活以后.介绍了在卵母细胞中p90rsk的研究进展.     

脑缺血Akt和MAPK磷酸酶负性调节c-Jun N端激酶信号通路

目的：探讨脑缺血再灌后Akt和MAPK磷酸酶与JNK活性下调的关系。方法：采用成年清洁级雄性SD大鼠,建立四动脉阻断前脑缺血再灌注模型。缺血10min后再灌注不同时间（15min,1h,4h,24h）。侧脑室分别给予P13K抑制剂LY294002（LY）和MAPK磷酸酶抑制剂放线菌酮（CHO）。免疫印迹观察P-Akt和P-JNK蛋白水平变化。结果：脑缺血再灌注4h,JNK的活性能被Akt抑制剂LY294002增强,表明激活的Akt能够下调JNK信号通路。而MAPK磷酸酶抑制剂放线茵酮能上调缺血后JNK活性,提示MAPK磷酸酶通过去磷酸化参与了JNK的活性抑制。结论：前脑缺血再灌后,激活Akt和MAPK磷酸酶参与了JNK信号通路负性调节,是抑制JNK诱导缺血后中枢神经损伤的重要机制。     

脑缺血Akt 和MAPK 磷酸酶负性调节c-Jun N 端激酶信号通路

目的:探讨脑缺血再灌后Akt和MAPK磷酸酶与JNK活性下调的关系。方法:采用成年清洁级雄性SD大鼠,建立四动脉阻断前脑缺血再灌注模型。缺血10min后再灌注不同时间(15min,1h,4h,24h)。侧脑室分别给予PI3K抑制剂LY294002(LY)和MAPK磷酸酶抑制剂放线菌酮(CHO)。免疫印迹观察p-Akt和p-JNK蛋白水平变化。结果:脑缺血再灌注4h,JNK的活性能被Akt抑制剂LY294002增强,表明激活的Akt能够下调JNK信号通路。而MAPK磷酸酶抑制剂放线菌酮能上调缺血后JNK活性,提示MAPK磷酸酶通过去磷酸化参与了JNK的活性抑制。结论:前脑缺血再灌后,激活Akt和MAPK磷酸酶参与了JNK信号通路负性调节,是抑制JNK诱导缺血后中枢神经损伤的重要机制。     

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(MAPK)信号通路的研究进展

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号通路是广泛存在于各种细胞中的一条信号转导途径,由一组级联活化的丝／苏氨酸蛋白激酶组成,对于细胞周期的运行和基因表达具有重要调控作用。MAPK包括多个成员,活化后向核内迁移,磷酸化包括转录因子在内的核蛋白和膜受体,实现对基因转录和其他事件的调节。MAPK激酶（MAPKK）是MAPK的上游激活分子,催化MAPK的Tyr和Thr残基双特异性磷酸化。Mos是脊椎动物生殖细胞中特有的MAPKK,通过MAPKK／MAPK途径活化成熟促进因子,启动卵母细胞成熟发育并维持中期阻滞。MAPK的下游分子包括MAPK活化的蛋白激酶（MAPKAPK）、核转录因子、热休克蛋白和细胞质磷脂酶A2等,执行由MAPK所介导的细胞生命活动调节功能。     

小鼠孤雌胚早期发育过程中γ-微管蛋白的动态变化

微管蛋白是构成微管的主要蛋白,其中α、β亚单位形成异二聚体,而γ-微管蛋白在微管组装中起作用。为了研究小鼠早期孤雌胚中廿微管蛋白的动态变化,本实验采用了免疫荧光化学染色与激光共聚焦显微镜观察相结合的方法,在SrCl2激活的卵母细胞减数分裂以及早期孤雌胚有丝分裂过程中对γ-微管蛋白进行了定位观察。结果显示,SrCl2和细胞松弛素B（cytochalasin B,CB）诱导的第二次减数分裂中期（metaphase Ⅱ ofmeiosis,MII）小鼠卵母细胞恢复减数分裂,并且纺锤体始终与质膜平行,表明纺锤体旋转被抑制,但核分裂不受影响。减数分裂过程中γ-微管蛋白主要定位于中期纺锤体两极和后期分开的染色单体之间;孤雌活化两雌原核形成以后,γ-微管蛋白聚集在两雌原核周围。在早期孤雌胚有丝分裂间期无定形的γ-微管蛋白均匀分布于核;前中期γ-微管蛋白向两极移动,遍布于整个纺锤体区。有丝分裂中期、后期和末期廿微管蛋白的分布变化与减数分裂相似。结果表明,SrCl2和CB激活的MII卯母细胞产生杂合二倍体;γ-微管蛋白具有促微管负极帽形成和稳定微管的功能,从而促进纺锤体的形成;分裂后期和末期廿微管蛋白的重新分布可能是由纺锤体牵引同源染色体分离所诱导的：γ-微管蛋白负责两雌原核的迁移靠近。     

蛋白激酶在卵母细胞减数分裂和受精中的作用

脊椎动物卵母细胞的减数分裂和受精过程受到多种蛋白激酶的调节。近年来对于卵母细胞成熟、活化和受精的分子机制研究取得了长足进步 ,发现促成熟因子 (MPF)和促分裂原活化蛋白激酶 (MAPK)是调节卵母细胞细胞周期的关键分子 ,二者的激活和失活导致了减数分裂的恢复、阻滞和完成。许多蛋白激酶通过调节MPF和MAPK活性来影响减数分裂。Polo like激酶活化MPF ,Mos激活MAPK而启动成熟分裂并维持中期阻滞。CaMKII通过泛素途径灭活MPF使卵突破MII期阻滞。另外 ,p90 rsk作为MAPK的下游分子参与减数分裂调节 ,蛋白激酶C(PKC)诱导皮质颗粒排放并抑制MAPK激活 ,酪氨酸蛋白激酶家族成员介导受精诱发的Ca2 释放。这些蛋白激酶的协同作用推动了卵母细胞正常的成熟与受精     

Activation of newt eggs in the absence of Ca2+ activity by treatment with cycloheximide or D2O

Unfertilized eggs of urodeles that exhibit physiological polyspermy are difficult to activate by ordinary egg-activating agents, such as pricking and Ca²⁺ ionophores, that easily activate monospermic anuran eggs. Therefore, we have tested the effects of other agents that cause egg activation in non-amphibian species in order to investigate the mechanism of egg activation in urodeles. We have found that cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor), D₂O (that induces microtubule polymerization) and 6-DMAP (a protein kinase inhibitor) caused activation of unfertilized eggs of the newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster . The cell cycle, arrested at meiotic metaphase II, was resumed to form the second polar body accompanied by a loss of maturation promoting factor and cytostatic factor activity. The treated eggs underwent abnormal cleavage. These results indicate that protein synthesis followed by protein phosphorylation is necessary to maintain M phase in unfertilized Cynops eggs. Unfertilized eggs failed to be activated by pricking, but were activated by the ionophore A23187, but only at a concentration 30 times higher than that required to activate Xenopus eggs. Eggs whose intracellular Ca²⁺ ions had been chelated by BAPTA could also be activated by either cycloheximide or D₂O. Cycloheximide- as well as 6-DMAP-induced egg activations were not inhibited by nocodazole, a microtubule-depolymerizing agent. These results suggest that the inhibition of synthesis and phosphorylation of short-lived proteins acts as an egg activation mechanism, downstream of the site of Ca²⁺ action and independently of microtubule polymerization.     

Protein tyrosine kinase activity of eggs of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus: the regulation of its increase after fertilization

Protein tyrosine kinase activity in eggs of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, increased two- to fourfold as early as several min after fertilization at 8-10 degrees C. Artificial activation of eggs with the divalent cation ionophore, A23187, or with butyric acid induced the increase in enzyme activity. The transfer of eggs to seawater containing either no Na+ or 50 mM Na+ and 10(-4) M amiloride immediately after fertilization did not block the increases in enzyme activity. When eggs were activated with seawater containing NH4OH, enzyme activity did not increase at 1 hr after activation, although the increased activity was detected at 3 hr after activation. Increased enzyme activity also was observed in enucleated egg fragments activated with butyric acid. Puromycin and emetine, inhibitors of protein synthesis, also did not inhibit the initial increases of enzyme activity after fertilization. These results demonstrated that the increased protein tyrosine kinase activity observed after fertilization of S. purpuratus eggs can be initiated independent of various other known events such as fusion with sperm cells and protein and DNA synthesis.     

Protein kinase C activity appears to be required for the synthesis of platelet-activating factor and leukotriene B4 by human neutrophils

Human neutrophils synthesize platelet-activating factor (PAF) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) when stimulated with the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. These processes are enhanced to a variable extent by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a direct activator of protein kinase C. The long chain amines sphingosine, stearylamine (Hannun, Y.A., Loomis, C.R., Merrill, A.H., Jr., and Bell, R.M. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 12604-12609), and palmitoylcarnitine competitively inhibit activation of purified protein kinase C in vitro and inhibit protein kinase C-mediated activation of the respiratory burst in human neutrophils (Wilson, E., Olcott, M.C., Bell, R.M., Merrill, A.H., Jr., and Lambeth, J.D. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 12616-12623). These amines were found to inhibit A23187-induced PAF and LTB4 synthesis. Inhibition of PAF and LTB4 synthesis occurred in parallel; half-maximal inhibition by sphingosine occurred at 7 microM, with complete inhibition at 15 microM. PMA by itself did not induce the synthesis of PAF or LTB4, although it did enhance PAF and LTB4 synthesis at suboptimal concentrations of A23187. PMA reversed long chain amine inhibition of PAF and LTB4 accumulation. Reversal of the inhibition of PAF and LTB4 accumulation occurred in parallel, was concentration-dependent, and was complete by approximately 3 x 10(-8) M PMA. The inactive 4 alpha-phorbol didecanoate ester did not reverse inhibition at these concentrations. Sphingosine completely prevented the A23187-induced release of [3H]arachidonate and its various metabolites from [3H]arachidonate-labeled cells. PMA, but not 4 alpha-phorbol didecanoate, restored arachidonate release and its metabolism. Therefore, while activation of protein kinase C is not sufficient to induce PAF and LTB4 synthesis, its action appears to be required to couple a rise in intracellular Ca2+ to their synthesis. This coupling occurs at the level of the initial reaction in the production of lipid mediators, a phospholipase A2-like activity that mobilizes the two substrates 1-O-alkyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and arachidonic acid from complex lipids.     

Protein kinase C acts downstream of calcium at entry into the first mitotic interphase of Xenopus laevis.

Transit into interphase of the first mitotic cell cycle in amphibian eggs is a process referred to as activation and is accompanied by an increase in intracellular free calcium [( Ca2+]i), which may be transduced into cytoplasmic events characteristic of interphase by protein kinase C (PKC). To investigate the respective roles of [Ca2+]i and PKC in Xenopus laevis egg activation, the calcium signal was blocked by microinjection of the calcium chelator BAPTA, or the activity of PKC was blocked by PKC inhibitors sphingosine or H7. Eggs were then challenged for activation by treatment with either calcium ionophore A23187 or the PKC activator PMA. BAPTA prevented cortical contraction, cortical granule exocytosis, and cleavage furrow formation in eggs challenged with A23187 but not with PMA. In contrast, sphingosine and H7 inhibited cortical granule exocytosis, cortical contraction, and cleavage furrow formation in eggs challenged with either A23187 or PMA. Measurement of egg [Ca2+]i with calcium-sensitive electrodes demonstrated that PMA treatment does not increase egg [Ca2+]i in BAPTA-injected eggs. Further, PMA does not increase [Ca2+]i in eggs that have not been injected with BAPTA. These results show that PKC acts downstream of the [Ca2+]i increase to induce cytoplasmic events of the first Xenopus mitotic cell cycle.     

Activation of Xenopus laevis eggs in the absence of intracellular Ca activity by the protein phosphorylation inhibitor, 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP).

Xenopus laevis eggs pricked or microinjected with water or saline in medium containing a limited quantity of free Ca (1.0 to 2.0 microM) remain unactivated for at least 6 hr, even after transfer to oocyte medium containing Ca at higher concentrations (0.5-1.0 mM). These injected eggs, when later pricked in oocyte medium or exposed to A23187 or urethane are fully capable of activation. This confirms the observations of Wangh ('89). However, eggs injected in this Ca-limited medium (CaLM) with 6-DMAP as well as those simply exposed to this drug undergo changes characteristic of activation, including cortical contraction, cortical granule breakdown, a loss of MPF and CSF activities, and pronuclear formation. The time required for 6-DMAP to induce egg activation is inversely correlated to its concentration. Interestingly, eggs that have been injected with EGTA, and thus are unable to respond to activation stimuli such as pricking and A23187 or urethane treatment, can also be activated by exposure to 6-DMAP. In contrast, eggs exposed to or injected with a 6-DMAP analogue (6-aminopurine or puromycin) or a protein synthesis inhibitor (cycloheximide or emetine or puromycin) are not activated. As well, eggs injected in CaLM with 6-DMAP simultaneously with a phosphatase inhibitor (NaF or ammonium molybdate) fail to become activated. Although 6-DMAP-activated eggs remain at the pronucleus stage so long as 6-DMAP is present, they resume cell cycle activities after the drug is withdrawn. They form cleavage furrows, disassemble pronuclear envelopes, and recondense chromosomes. Also, MPF activity reappears and cycles at least twice, peaking each time shortly before cleavage furrow formation. These results suggest that activation of Xenopus eggs arrested at metaphase II by inhibition of protein phosphorylation does not require intracellular Ca release and that maintenance of the egg at metaphase II depends upon continuous protein phosphorylation.     

Fertilization stimulates long-lasting oscillations of CaMKII activity in mouse eggs

Elucidation of the biochemical mechanisms by which specific proteins transduce the all important intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signal at fertilization into events of egg activation will increase our understanding of the regulation of the onset of development and the extent to which these signals can be experimentally modified. Previously, we reported data supporting the hypothesis that mouse eggs have the capability to generate oscillations of the activity of Ca2+ and calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), regulating the cell cycle and secretion. This study directly demonstrates transient increases of enzyme activity in relatively close synchrony with Ca2+ oscillations for the first hour of fertilization in single mouse eggs monitored for both Ca2+ and CaMKII activity. The extent of the enzyme activity increase was correlated with the level of intracellular Ca2+. After a rise in activity, the decrease in activity did not appear to be due to negative feedback from elevated Ca2+ or CaMKII activity over time, since enzyme activity persisted after 8 min of elevated Ca2+ from 7% ethanol activation. The contribution of CaMKII from a single sperm to the rise in CaMKII activity at fertilization appeared to be negligible. Also, long-term cell cycle inhibition was observed in fertilized eggs with the CaMKII antagonist myrAIP (50 microM), which did not inhibit the first large Ca2+ transient or subsequent early oscillations but did reduce the percentage of eggs fertilized. Thus, mammalian eggs appear to drive many activation events over time to completion with repeated short bursts of Ca2+ oscillation-dependent CaMKII activity, rather than by a steady-state, continuously elevated level of CaMKII activity that is maintained by periodic Ca2+ oscillations.     

Protein kinase C is required for the disappearance of MPF upon artificial activation in mouse eggs

The aim of the present study was to investigate the implication of protein kinase C (PKC) in the mouse egg activation process. We used OAG (1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol) as a PKC activator, calphostin C as a specific PKC inhibitor, and the calcium ionophore A23187 as a standard parthenogenetic agent. The exposure of zona-free eggs to 150 μM or 50 μM OAG for 10 min resulted in meiosis II completion in ∼80% of instances. By contrast, at a lower concentration (25 μM), the PKC stimulator was ineffective as parthenogenetic agent. Shortly after the application of 150 μM OAG, the cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) increased transiently in all the eggs examined, whereas after the addition of 50 μM OAG, [Ca²⁺]_i remained unchanged for at least 20 min. During this period, the activity of M-phase promoting factor (MPF) dramatically decreased and most of the eggs entered anaphase except when the PKC was inhibited by calphostin C. Similarly, MPF inactivation and meiosis resumption were prevented in calphostin C-loaded eggs following treatment with A23187, even though the ionophore-induced Ca²⁺ signalling was not affected. Taken together, our results indicate that stimulation of PKC is a sufficient and necessary event to induce meiosis resumption in mouse eggs and strongly suggest that, in this species, the mechanism by which a transient calcium burst triggers MPF inactivation involves a PKC-dependent pathway. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 48:292–299, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II triggers mouse egg activation and embryo development in the absence of Ca2+ oscillations

Fertilization in mammalian eggs is accompanied by oscillatory changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, which are critical for initiating and completing egg activation events and the developmental program. Ca(2+)/Camodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a multifunctional enzyme that is postulated to be the downstream transducer of the Ca(2+) signal in many cell types. We tested the hypothesis that CaMKII is the major integrator of Ca(2+)-induced egg activation events and embryo development by microinjecting a cRNA that encodes a constitutively active (Ca(2+)-independent) mutant form of CaMKII (CA-CaMKII) into mouse eggs. Expression of this cRNA, which does not increase intracellular Ca(2+), induced a sustained rise in CaMKII activity and triggered egg activation events, including cell cycle resumption, and degradation and recruitment of maternal mRNAs; cortical granule exocytosis, however, did not occur normally. Furthermore, when mouse eggs were injected with sperm devoid of Ca(2+)-releasing activity and activated with either CA-CaMKII cRNA or by SrCl(2), similar rates and incidence of development to the blastocyst stage were observed. These results strongly suggest that CaMKII is a major integrator of the Ca(2+) changes that occur following fertilization.     

The relationship between calcium, MAP kinase, and DNA synthesis in the sea urchin egg at fertilization

Fertilization releases the brake on the cell cycle and the egg completes meiosis and enters into S phase of the mitotic cell cycle. The MAP kinase pathway has been implicated in this process, but the precise role of MAP kinase in meiosis and the first mitotic cell cycle remains unknown and may differ according to species. Unlike the eggs of most animals, sea urchin eggs have completed meiosis prior to fertilization and are arrested at the pronuclear stage. Using both phosphorylation-state-specific antibodies and a MAP kinase activity assay, we observe that MAP kinase is phosphorylated and active in unfertilized sea urchin eggs and then dephosphorylated and inactivated by 15 min postinsemination. Further, Ca(2+) was both sufficient and necessary for this MAP kinase inactivation. Treatment of eggs with the Ca(2+) ionophore A23187 caused MAP kinase inactivation and triggered DNA synthesis. When the rise in intracellular Ca(2+) was inhibited by injection of a chelator, BAPTA or EGTA, the activity of MAP kinase remained high. Finally, inhibition of the MAP kinase signaling pathway by the specific MEK inhibitor PD98059 triggered DNA synthesis in unfertilized eggs. Thus, whenever MAP kinase activity is retained, DNA synthesis is inhibited while inactivation of MAP kinase correlates with initiation of DNA synthesis.