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REVIEW article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Reproduction
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1411000
This article is part of the Research Topic Roles of the First and Second Messengers in Reproduction View all 4 articles

Calcium signaling in oocyte quality and functionality and its application

Provisionally accepted
Chen Chen Chen Chen 1Shijue Dong Shijue Dong 1Zefan Huang Zefan Huang 1Mengqian Ding Mengqian Ding 1Jinran Li Jinran Li 2Miaomiao Wang Miaomiao Wang 1Xuhui Zeng Xuhui Zeng 1*Xiaoning Zhang Xiaoning Zhang 1*Xiaoli Sun Xiaoli Sun 2*
  • 1 Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Center of Reproductive Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Calcium (Ca2+) is a second messenger for many signal pathways, and changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) are an important signaling mechanism in the oocyte maturation, activation, fertilization, function regulation of granulosa and cumulus cells and offspring development. Ca2+ oscillations occur during oocyte maturation and fertilization, which are maintained by Ca2+ stores and extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]e). Abnormalities in Ca2+ signaling can affect the release of the first polar body, the first meiotic division, and chromosome and spindle morphology. Well-studied aspects of Ca2+ signaling in the oocyte are oocyte activation and fertilization. Oocyte activation, driven by sperm-specific phospholipase PLCζ, is initiated by concerted intracellular patterns of Ca2+ release, termed Ca2+ oscillations. Ca2+ oscillations persist for a long time during fertilization and are coordinately engaged by a variety of Ca2+ channels, pumps, regulatory proteins and their partners. Calcium signaling also regulates granulosa and cumulus cells’ function, which further affects oocyte maturation and fertilization outcome. Clinically, there are several physical and chemical options for treating fertilization failure through oocyte activation. Additionally, various exogenous compounds or drugs can cause ovarian dysfunction and female infertility by inducing abnormal Ca2+ signaling or Ca2+ dyshomeostasis in oocytes and granulosa cells. Therefore, the reproductive health risks caused by adverse stresses should arouse our attention. This review will systematically summarize the latest research progress on the aforementioned aspects and propose further research directions on calcium signaling in female reproduction.

    Keywords: Calcium, Oocyte maturation, Oocyte activation, Fertilization, Ca 2+ oscillations, Female fertility

    Received: 02 Apr 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Dong, Huang, Ding, Li, Wang, Zeng, Zhang and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xuhui Zeng, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
    Xiaoning Zhang, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
    Xiaoli Sun, Center of Reproductive Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.