The biphasic increase of PIP2 in the fertilized eggs of starfish: new roles in actin polymerization and Ca2+ signaling.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fertilization of echinoderm eggs is accompanied by dynamic changes of the actin cytoskeleton and by a drastic increase of cytosolic Ca(2+). Since the plasma membrane-enriched phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) serves as the precursor of inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate (InsP(3)) and also regulates actin-binding proteins, PIP2 might be involved in these two processes.

Methodology/principal findings

In this report, we have studied the roles of PIP2 at fertilization of starfish eggs by using fluorescently tagged pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of PLC-δ1, which has specific binding affinity to PIP2, in combination with Ca(2+) and F-actin imaging techniques and transmission electron microscopy. During fertilization, PIP2 increased at the plasma membr

SUBMITTER: Chun JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2990714 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature