2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The role of phosphatidylinositol turnover in nuclei
| Project/Area Number |
11670138
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Pathological medical chemistry
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
FUKAMI Kiyoko Inst.Med.Sci., Dep.Biochem., The University of Tokyo, Associate Professer, 医科学研究所, 講師 (40181242)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1999 – 2000
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| Keywords | Phospholipase C / Nuclei / Fertilization / Acrosome reaction |
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| Research Abstract |
We report that male mice in which the phospholipase C (PLC) δ4 gene was disrupted either produced few small litters or were sterile. In vitro fertilization studies showed that insemination with PLCδ4^<-/-> sperm resulted in significantly fewer eggs becoming activated and, more importantly, the calcium transients associated with fertilization were absent or extremely delayed. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that PLCδ4^<-/-> sperm were unable to initiate/complete the acrosome reaction, an exocytotic event required for fertilization and induced by interaction with the egg coat, the zona pellucida. These data show for the first time a physiological function of a PLCδ type, and demonstrate that PLCδ4 plays a significant role in the zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction during mammalian fertilization.
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