Nuclear requirement of post-maturational cortical differentiation of amphibian oocytes: effects of cycloheximide.

Cycloheximide induced a complex series of alterations in the cortical cytoplasm of amphibian (Rana pipiens) oocytes undergoing steroid induced nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation in vitro. The morphological changes were described and the role of nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions in the induction of these changes was investigated in intact, enucleated and enucleated-reinjected oocytes. Three stages of cortical changes were ascertained on the basis of: localized alterations at the animal pole, redistribution of pigment and localized contractility (furrow formation) primarily along the animal:vegetal pole axis. The extent and type of cortical alterations varied depending upon the time at which oocytes were examined following hormonal stimulation and cycloheximide treatment. Cycloheximide did not produce cortical alterations in non-hormone treated oocytes nor in steroid treated oocytes until after germinal vesicle breakdown. Nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation and the appearance of cortical alterations were all inhibited when cycloheximide was added to oocytes at the time of steroid treatment. Cycloheximide induction of cortical alterations occurred only after the inhibitor was no longer effective in preventing germinal vesicle breakdown. Enucleated oocytes underwent cytoplasmic maturation in response to the steroid but exhibited no cortical alterations following the delayed addition of cycloheximide. Simultaneous administration of cycloheximide and steroid to enucleated oocytes inhibited cytoplasmic maturation and all observable cortical alterations. Reinjection of nuclear material into enucleated oocytes restored the ability of cycloheximide to induce cortical alterations following steroid induction of cytoplasmic maturation. Without steroid treatment, such reinjected oocytes did not exhibit cortical changes in response to cycloheximide. The data demonstrate that the nucleus is required for and contains a factor(s) which controls the cycloheximide response and post-maturation differentiation of the oocyte. The maturational changes in the cortical cytoplasm appear to be dependent on the intermixing of the germinal vesicle nucleoplasm materials with mature cytoplasm following germinal vesicle breakdown. The results further suggest that the cortical effects of cycloheximide are dependent upon the initiation of protein synthesis during this period of oocyte development. The significance of these observations and experimental studies are discussed in relation to current understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling meiosis induction and the composition of the germinal vesicle.