Luisa Gioia, Luca Palazzese, Marta Czernik, Domenico Iuso, Helena Fulka, Josef Fulka, Pasqualino Loi
The fertilizing spermatozoa induce a Ca2+ oscillatory pattern, the universal hallmark of oocyte activation, in all sexually reproducing animals. Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) bypass the physiological pathway; however, while a normal Ca2+ release pattern occurs in some species, particularly humans, artificial activation is compulsory for ICSI-fertilized oocytes to develop in most farm animals. Unlike the normal oscillatory pattern, most artificial activation protocols induce a single Ca2+ spike, undermining proper ICSI-derived embryo development in these species...
December 1, 2023: Reproduction