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Abstract
The resumption of meiotic maturation in Chaetopterus oocytes is believed to be initiated
by activation of protein kinase C (pkC). Since the physiological activator of pkC
is diacylglycerol (DG), we examined the DG content of the oocytes before and during
germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). Unstimulated oocytes contained 366 +/- 34 fmol
DG per cell. This value increased to approximately 430-500 fmol 3-5 min after normal
induction of GVBD and declined thereafter to 147 +/- 7 fmol per cell. Fertilization
increased the DG levels slightly, 3-5 min after insemination. These results strongly
support the hypothesis that pkC is a physiological activator of GVBD in this species.