In a previous study (K.-I. Sato et al., 1999, Dev. Biol. 209, 308-320), we presented evidence that a Src-related protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK), named Xyk, may act upstream of the calcium release in fertilization of the Xenopus egg. In the present study, we examined whether PTK activation of phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma) plays a role in the fertilization-induced calcium signaling. Immunoprecipitation studies show that Xenopus egg PLCgamma is tyrosine phosphorylated and activated within a few minutes after fertilization but not after A23187-induced egg activation. Consistently, we observed a fertilization-induced association of PLCgamma with Xyk activity that was not seen in A23187-activated eggs. A Src-specific PTK inhibitor, PP1, blocked effectively the fertilization-induced association of PLCgamma with Xyk activity and up-regulation of PLCgamma, when microinjected into the egg. In addition, a PLC inhibitor, U-73122, inhibited sperm-induced inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production and the calcium transient and subsequent calcium-dependent events such as cortical contraction, elevation of fertilization envelope, and tyrosine dephosphorylation of p42 MAP kinase, all of which were also inhibited by PP1. On the other hand, A23187 could cause the calcium response and calcium-dependent events in eggs injected with PP1 or U-73122. These results support the idea that Xenopus egg fertilization requires Src-family PTK-dependent PLCgamma activity that acts upstream of the calcium-dependent signaling pathway.

Recently, we have purified a Src-related tyrosine kinase, named Xenopus tyrosine kinase (Xyk), from oocytes of Xenopus laevis and found that the enzyme is activated within 1 min following fertilization [Sato et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 13250-13257]. A concomitant translocation of a part of the activated enzyme from the membrane fraction to the cytosolic fraction was also observed. In the present study, we show that parthenogenetic egg activation by a synthetic RGDS peptide [Y. Iwao and T. Fujimura, T. (1996) Dev. Biol. 177, 558-567], an integrin-interacting peptide, but not by electrical shock or the calcium ionophore A23187 causes the kinase activation, tyrosine phosphorylation, and translocation of Xyk. A synthetic tyrosine kinase-specific inhibitor peptide was employed to analyze the importance of the Xyk activity in egg activation. We found that the peptide inhibits the kinase activity of purified Xyk at IC50 of 8 microM. Further, egg activation induced by sperm or RGDS peptide but not by A23187 was inhibited by microinjection of the peptide. In the peptide-microinjected eggs, penetration of the sperm nucleus into the egg cytoplasm and meiotic resumption in the egg were blocked. Indirect immunofluorescence study demonstrates that Xyk is exclusively localized to the cortex of Xenopus eggs, indicating that Xyk can function in close proximity to the sperm-egg or RGDS peptide-egg interaction site. Taken together, these data suggest that the tyrosine kinase Xyk plays an important role in the early events of Xenopus egg activation in a manner independent or upstream of calcium signaling.

BackgroundA characteristic feature of frog reproduction is external fertilization accomplished outside the female's body. Mature fertilization-competent frog eggs are arrested at the meiotic metaphase II with high activity of the key meiotic regulators, maturation promoting factor (MPF) and cytostatic factor (CSF), awaiting fertilization. If the eggs are not fertilized within several hours of ovulation, they deteriorate and ultimately die by as yet unknown mechanism.ResultsHere, we report that the vast majority of naturally laid unfertilized eggs of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis spontaneously exit metaphase arrest under various environmental conditions and degrade by a well-defined apoptotic process within 48 hours after ovulation. The main features of this process include cytochrome c release, caspase activation, ATP depletion, increase of ADP/ATP ratio, apoptotic nuclear morphology, progressive intracellular acidification, and egg swelling. Meiotic exit seems to be a prerequisite for execution of the apoptotic program, since (i) it precedes apoptosis, (ii) apoptotic events cannot be observed in the eggs maintaining high activity of MPF and CSF, and (iii) apoptosis in unfertilized frog eggs is accelerated upon early meiotic exit. The apoptotic features cannot be observed in the immature prophase-arrested oocytes, however, the maturation-inducing hormone progesterone renders oocytes susceptible to apoptosis.ConclusionsThe study reveals that naturally laid intact frog eggs die by apoptosis if they are not fertilized. A maternal apoptotic program is evoked in frog oocytes upon maturation and executed after meiotic exit in unfertilized eggs. The meiotic exit is required for execution of the apoptotic program in eggs. The emerging anti-apoptotic role of meiotic metaphase arrest needs further investigation.

We reported previously that egg membrane rafts serve as a subcellular microdomain for sperm-dependent tyrosine kinase signaling in Xenopus fertilization. Moreover, we demonstrated that raft-associated Src tyrosine kinase was activated by sperm in vitro. Here we show that egg rafts incubated with sperm or hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) can promote Src-dependent phosphorylation of phospholipase C␥ (PLC␥) and transient calcium release in the extracts of unfertilized Xenopus eggs. In vivo egg activation by sperm or H 2 O 2 also promotes tyrosinephosphorylation and raft-translocalization of PLC␥. Immunodepletion of PLC␥ from the egg extracts inhibits the raft-dependent calcium release. Rafts prepared from H 2 O 2 -activated eggs also promote Src-dependent dephosphorylation of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and cell cycle transition from metaphase II to interphase in egg extracts. PLC␥ phosphorylation and calcium release in egg extracts can be promoted by rafts prepared from COS-7 cells expressing the Xenopus Src gene. These results demonstrate that the signaling events elicited by fertilization in Xenopus eggs can be reconstituted in vitro. The development of such experimental platforms will allow us to dissect the molecular mechanism of sperm-dependent activation of raft-associated Src and subsequent up-regulation of PLC␥ and egg activation machinery in Xenopus eggs.

Fertilization is accompanied by a rapid and transient calcium release in eggs