Involvement of protein-tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in sperm-induced Xenopus egg activation.

We have analyzed tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins in Xenopus laevis eggs before and after fertilization by immunoblotting with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody. A number of egg proteins with different subcellular distribution became tyrosine-phosphorylated or dephosphorylated within 30 min after insemination. Tyrosine kinase-specific inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A were found to inhibit sperm-induced egg activation judged by the egg cortical contraction. Surprisingly, sodium orthovanadate, a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, also inhibited the egg activation. Moreover, we found that fertilization-dependent tyrosine dephosphorylation of 42-kDa mitogen-activated protein kinase was inhibited in genistein-treated eggs. These results suggest that both protein-tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation pathways play an important role in the sperm-induced Xenopus egg activation.