Parthenogenetic activation of Lytechinuspictus eggs can be monitored after inje&ion with the Ca-sensitive photoprotein aequorin to estimate calcium release during activation. Parthenogenetic treatments, including the nonelectrolyte urea, hypertonic sea water, and ionophore A23187, all acted to release Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Ionophore and urea solutions release Ca*’ from the same intrac...

Parthenogenetic activation of human oocytes may be one way to produce histocompatible cells for cell-based therapy. We report the successful derivation of six pluripotent human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines from blastocysts of parthenogenetic origin. The parthenogenetic human embryonic stem cells (phESC) demonstrate typical hESC morphology, express appropriate markers, and possess high level...

Background: Parthenogenetic activation is a possible way to produce homogeneous embryos with the some ploidy. Probably such embryos could be used in other areas of biotechnology. Calcium signals are known as important regulators of oocyte activation. Extracellular calcium is required for initiation of meiotic resumption and development. Calcium ionophore A23187 is known to elevate intracellular...

The tumour suppressor gene silencing and proto-oncogene activation caused by epigenetic alterations plays an important role in the initiation and progression of cancer. Re-establishing the balance between the expression of tumour suppressor genes and proto-oncogenes by epigenetic modulation is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, we investigated whether cancer cells can be ...

Strain LT/Sv female mice show a high frequency of spontaneous ovarian teratomas arising from parthenogenetically activated follicular oocytes. LT/Sv oocytes also arrest at metaphase of meiosis I, rather than progressing through to metaphase II, as do almost all fully grown oocytes from most other strains. We investigated a new set of recombinant inbred strains derived from BALB/c and C58 (the p...

Pig oocytes matured in vitro were parthenogenetically activated using nitric oxide donor SNAP (2mM). Continuous treatment successfully activated the oocytes only after more than 12 hours of exposure. Pulsatile treatments during which oocytes were repeatedly exposed to 2mM SNAP for a short time (10, 20 or 30 minutes) were more efficient with regard to the activation rate, even when the total exp...

It has been proposed that the release of intracellular ionic calcium may be the universal factor promoting activation of egg metabolism at fertilization. If this hypothesis is valid, then fertilization and all parthenogenetic agents which evoke the entire program of activation would necessarily involve an intracellular rise in ionic calcium. Fertilization or parthenogenetic activation of Lytech...

Parthenogenetic activation of human oocytes obtained from infertility treatments has gained new interest in recent years as an alternative approach to create embryos with no reproductive purpose for research in areas such as assisted reproduction technologies itself, somatic cell, and nuclear transfer experiments and for derivation of clinical grade pluripotent embryonic stem cells for regenera...