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Role of actin filaments in the hatching process of mouse blastocyst

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 1999

Yong Pil Cheon ,
Myung Chan Gye ,
Chung-hoon Kim ,
Byung Moon Kang ,
Yoon Seok Chang ,
Sung Rye Kim  and
Moon Kyoo Kim
Yong Pil Cheon
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Myung Chan Gye
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Kyonggi University, Suwon, Korea.
Chung-hoon Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Byung Moon Kang
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Yoon Seok Chang
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Sung Rye Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Ewha Women's University, Seoul, Korea.
Moon Kyoo Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea.
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Abstract

Hatching has been suggested to occur as a result of protease-mediated lysis and the blastocoele tension. However, even if rupturing is initiated at multiple sites, interestingly only a single site is used for escape. This implies that there are several mechanisms involved in hatching. In this study, the involvement of actin filaments in mouse embryo hatching was examined. We treated mouse embryos with cytochalasin B for 12 h or 24 h at the morula, middle blastocyst, expanded blastocyst, lobe-formed blastocyst and hatching blastocyst stages, and measured the amount and distribution of actin filaments using a confocal microscope. At morula, middle blastocyst, lobe-formed blastocyst and hatching blastocyst stages embryonic development was completely arrested by cytochalasin B. However, when transferred to cytochalasin-B-free medium, the embryos resumed development and escaped the zona pellucida. In the expanded blastocysts development was almost completely inhibited by cytochalasin B, but rupturing occurred in some embryos. However, development stopped completely at the ruptured stage. Distribution of actin filaments was prominent at rupturing and hatching sites regardless of cytochalasin B treatment. The amount of actin filaments was prominent at hatching embryos compared with other developmental stages of embryos. These actin filaments were distributed intensively between the trophectodermal cells, and formed locomotion patterns. Taken together, these results suggest that not only tension and lytic enzymes are required to rupture, but the activity of actin filaments may have a crucial role in the process of hatching.

Keywords

Actin filamentCytochalasin BHatchingRuptureZona pellucida (ZP)
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , May 1999 , pp. 123 - 129
Copyright
1999 Cambridge University Press

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