Authors:

Amani Talbert

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

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About Paper:

The mechanical properties of cells contribute to several different aspects of cell physiology, including cell shape, cellular morphogenesis, orientation for cell division, and the sensing and transducing of signals associated with mechanical forces. Additionally, measurement of cortical tension of cells is a readout of acto- myosin-mediated contractility. Previous studies assessing cortical tension in mammalian oocytes using micropipette aspiration revealed changes with progression through meiosis and the egg-to-embryo transition. This work aims to develop and apply atomic force microscopy (AFM) and imaging tools towards the measurement of mammalian egg mechanical behavior, to elucidate how calcium signaling and cytoskeletal dynamics interact during the egg-to-embryo transition to modify the egg plasma membrane to a state that is unreceptive to sperm, resulting in a block to fertilization by additional sperm (known as polyspermy). This project will involve collection and culture of egg cells from mice, development of methods for immobilizing these cells for AFM measurements (e.g., anchoring on coverslips or embedding in agarose), and testing a spherical indenter for these analysis of unfertilized eggs. With these experimental parameters in place, our goal is to perform these measurements to compare unfertilized and fertilized eggs, and then fertilized eggs that have been experimentally manipulated in ways that are known to alter calcium signaling, actomyosin dynamics, and events of the egg-to-embryo transition such as the membrane block to polyspermy.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Amani Talbert