Effect of protein kinase C inhibitors on porcine oocyte activation

The effect of protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors on porcine oocyte activation by calcium ionophore A23187 was studied. Calcium ionophore applied in a 50 µM concentration for 10 min induced activation in 74% of oocytes matured in vitro. When the ionophore‐treated oocytes were exposed to the effect of bisindolylmaleimide I, which inhibits calcium‐dependent PKC isotypes (PKC‐α, ‐βI, ‐βII, ‐γ,) and calcium‐independent PKC isotypes (PKC‐δ, ‐ε), the portion of activated oocytes decreased (at a concentration of 100 nM, 2% of the oocytes were activated). Go6976, the inhibitor of calcium‐dependent PKC isotypes PKC‐α, ‐βI did not prevent the action of the oocytes treated with calcium ionophore in concentrations from 1 to 100 µM. The inhibitor of PKC‐βI and βII isotypes, hispidin, in a concentration of 2 µM–2 mM, was not effective either. The inhibitor of PKC‐δ isotype, rottlerin, suppressed activation of the oocytes by calcium ionophopre (no oocyte was activated at 10 µM concentration). The PKC‐δ isotype in matured porcine oocytes, studied by Western blot analysis, appeared as nontruncated PKC‐δ of 77.5 kDa molecular weight, on the one hand, and as truncated PKC‐δ, which was present in the form of a doublet of approximately 62.5 and 68 kDa molecular weight, on the other hand. On the basis of these results, it can be supposed that PKC participates in the regulation of processes associated with oocyte activation. Calcium‐dependent PKC‐α, ‐β isotypes do not seem to play any significant role in calcium activation. The activation seems to depend on the activity of the calcium‐independent PKC‐δ isoform. J. Exp. Zool. 305A:376–382, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.