The effect of protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors on porcine oocyte activation by calcium ionophore A23187 was studied. Calcium ionophore applied in a 50 microM 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-alpha, -beta(I), -beta(II), -gamma,) and calcium-independent PKC isotypes (PKC-delta, -epsilon), 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-alpha, -beta(I) did not prevent the action of the oocytes treated with calcium ionophore in concentrations from 1 to 100 microM. The inhibitor of PKC-beta(I) and beta(II) isotypes, hispidin, in a concentration of 2 microM-2 mM, was not effective either. The inhibitor of PKC-delta isotype, rottlerin, suppressed activation of the oocytes by calcium ionophore (no oocyte was activated at 10 microM concentration). The PKC-delta isotype in matured porcine oocytes, studied by Western blot analysis, appeared as non-truncated PKC-delta of 77.5 kDa molecular weight, on the one hand, and as truncated PKC-delta, 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-alpha, -beta 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-delta isoform.

Czech University of Agriculture Prague Faculty of Agronomy Department of Veterinary Science 16521 Prague 6 Suchdol Czech Republic