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Evidence that activation of Src family kinase is not required for fertilization-associated [Ca²⁺]_i oscillations in mouse eggs

¹ Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and ² Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, Massachusetts, USA and ³ Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence should be addressed to R A Fissore; Email: rfissore{at}vasci.umass.edu

Recent evidence in marine invertebrate, frog, and zebrafish eggs suggests the involvement of a Src family kinase (SFK) in fertilization-induced Ca²⁺ release. In the present study, we have investigated whether activation of an SFK is required for initiation of intracellular Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_i) oscillations in mouse fertilization. We detected a Hck-like protein and tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins in soluble and insoluble sperm fractions, respectively. However, the presence of these proteins did not correspond to the active fractions of porcine sperm extracts (pSE). Moreover, [Ca²⁺]_i oscillations induced by pSE in mouse eggs were unaltered by pre-incubation of pSE with specific SFK inhibitors such as 4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazol[3,4-d]-pyrimidine (PP2) or lavendustin A, despite the fact that the inhibitors were shown to be active both in vivo and in vitro. Another SFK inhibitor, peptide A, blocked oscillations when incubated with pSE prior to injection into eggs, but this inhibition required more than ten times the concentration reportedly required to inhibit SFK activity. In addition, pre-injection or pre-incubation of eggs with these inhibitors did not affect the ability of pSE to trigger [Ca²+]_i oscillations in mouse eggs. Microinjection of a recombinant c-Src protein or mRNAs encoding constitutively active Src proteins did not induce [Ca²⁺]_i release. Finally, when sperm and eggs, both of which were pre-treated with PP2, were fertilized, [Ca²⁺]_i oscillations occurred normally. We can therefore conclude that activation of an SFK is neither necessary nor sufficient for triggering fertilization-induced [Ca²⁺]_i oscillations.

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