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What Happens During the Latent Period at Fertilization

  • Chapter
Mechanisms of Egg Activation

Abstract

A period of several seconds to half a minute can elapse between the initial interaction of the fertilizing sperm with the egg and the initiation of the calcium wave that causes global egg activation. It has been called the latent period. We discuss experiments that have shed light on what is happening during the latent period. We suggest that the latent period reflects the transfer of an activating messenger from the sperm to the egg through a labile fusion pore. The latent period ends when the messenger triggers the increase in cytoplasmic calcium that consolidates the labile fusion state and then sweeps across the egg, activating it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Michael Whitaker, Karl Swann & Ian Crossley

Authors
  1. Michael Whitaker
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  2. Karl Swann
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  3. Ian Crossley
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA

    Richard Nuccitelli

  2. Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Davis, Bodega Bay, California, USA

    Gary N. Cherr  & Wallis H. Clark Jr.  & 

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© 1989 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Whitaker, M., Swann, K., Crossley, I. (1989). What Happens During the Latent Period at Fertilization. In: Nuccitelli, R., Cherr, G.N., Clark, W.H. (eds) Mechanisms of Egg Activation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0881-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0881-3_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-0883-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-0881-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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