Award details

Ca2+ oscillations and preimplantation embryo development in mouse and humans

Reference	BB/C513142/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Karl Swann
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Nazar Amso
Institution	Cardiff University
Department	Division of Hospital Based Specialities
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	287,459
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	03/10/2005
End date	02/10/2009
Duration	48 months

Abstract

The aim of this research is to understand to what extent and how cytosolic Ca2+ changes during egg activation can modulate early development in mammalian embryos. It is well established that Ca2+ oscillations during mammalian fertilisation lead to egg activation as indicated by pronuclear formation. There is now evidence that suggest that the pattern of Ca2+ oscillations during egg activation can affect the developmental rate of embryos beyond the early activation phase. The role of the Ca2+ oscillations in later development has not been fully investigated in mouse embryos, and has hardly ever been addressed in human embryos. With this Grant we will take advantage of two relevant advances in technology. Firstly we shall use the newly identified PLCzeta protein to cause Ca2+ oscillations that perfectly mimics the signals provided by the sperm at fertilization. We will then use PLCzeta to cause different patterns of artificially generated Ca2+ oscillations to study effects upon later mammalian embryo development. Secondly we will take advantage of photon imaging technology to monitor Ca2+ oscillations in a way that does not compromise later development in preimplantation mammalian embryos. The use of low-level photon imaging will enable us to directly correlate the Ca2+ changes in individual embryos with their subsequent development. The data we obtain should help us understand the relationship between Ca2+ signals during egg activation and later development both in mouse and human preimplantation embryos. This work could provide an explanation, and possible strategies for treatment, of some cases of male factor infertility. It could also help provide an effective strategy for generating human embryonic stem cells from parthenogenetic embryos.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Genes & Developmental Biology (GDB)
Research Topics	Stem Cells
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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