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Role of cations as components of jelly coats in Bufo arenarum fertilization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2009

Marcela Fátima Medina ,
Claudia Alejandra Crespo ,
Inés Ramos  and
Silvia Nélida Fernández
Marcela Fátima Medina
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, National University of Tucumán, Chacabuco 461, 4000 Tucumán, Argentina.
Claudia Alejandra Crespo
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, National University of Tucumán, Chacabuco 461, 4000 Tucumán, Argentina.
Inés Ramos
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, National University of Tucumán, Chacabuco 461, 4000 Tucumán, Argentina.
Silvia Nélida Fernández*
Affiliation:
Chacabuco 461, 4000 – S.M. de Tucumán, Argentina. Department of Developmental Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, National University of Tucumán, Chacabuco 461, 4000 Tucumán, Argentina.
*
All correspondence to: Silvia Nélida Fernández. Chacabuco 461, 4000 – S.M. de Tucumán, Argentina. Fax: +54 381 4248025. e-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

The role of monovalent (Na+, K+) and divalent (Ca2+, Mg2+) cations in Bufo arenarum fertilization was analysed. Our results showed that the highest fertilization percentages were obtained when strings of uterine oocytes (UO) were inseminated. Under these conditions, full jelly (FJ), which represents the jelly coats surrounding the oocytes at the time of deposition, contained 68.5 ± 7.0 mM Na+, 27.4 ± 2.4 mM K+, 6.3 ± 0.9 mM Ca2+ and 6.9 ± 0.9 mM Mg2+. When the strings of oocytes were washed in deionized water, these cations diffused into the liquid medium surrounding them. There was a marked similarity between the loss of Ca2+ in the jelly and the decrease in the fertilizability of the UO. Furthermore, the use of chelating agents of divalent cations showed the importance of the Ca2+ contained in the jelly. When Ca2+ was sequestered from the jelly coats by the addition of the chelating agents to the insemination medium as well as by pretreatment of the UO strings, a decrease in fertilization percentages occurred, this effect being dose dependent and more marked with EGTA. These results demonstrate that the Ca2+ in the jelly plays a role in fertilization. Nevertheless, taking into account that during the washing of the jelly other jelly coat components were diffused and considering that the addition of Ca2+ to the insemination medium reverted significantly, but only partially, the loss of fertilizability of jellied UO (washed), the participation of other components in the fertilization mechanism is suggested.

Keywords

AmphibianCalciumCationsFertilizationJelly
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , February 2010 , pp. 69 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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