The goal of the Interdisciplinary Reproduction & Health Group (IRHG) Seminar Series is to highlight transdisciplinary precision research taking place in the reproductive health field, provide opportunities for collaboration among researchers to build their own research efforts and promote clinical/researcher activity across the University of Missouri System and our partners.

The IRHG was organized and established through a faculty-driven, grass roots effort in 2016 to develop an integrative interdisciplinary program that transcends traditional departmental, college and system boundaries to foster excellence in reproduction, health research and education at Mizzou.

View all upcoming Reproductive Health events on the IRHG Seminar Series website.

For questions about this event, please reach out to Wipawee Winuthayanon.

The Essential and Diverse Roles of Divalent Cations and their Channels in Egg Activation and Initiation of Development in Mammals

Speaker: Rafael Fissore, PhD, Professor, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Date: Aug. 2, 2023, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Location: Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building, Atkins Family Seminar Room

In-person and virtual option

• Light snack will be provided in person. All are welcome!
• Attend virtually in Zoom with ID 969 5309 4849 and passcode 422673. 

About the Speaker

Dr. Fissore's laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanism by which the sperm is able to induce activation and trigger development in mammalian eggs. It is widely known that at fertilization the sperm induces Ca2+ oscillations and this Ca2+ release is the signal responsible for triggering the majority of events that culminate in embryonic development. However, how the sperm first signals Ca2+ release and oscillations in eggs remains to be elucidated. Therefore, a main topic of research in his laboratory is to identify the pathway, and isolate the molecule(s), responsible for this specific event of Ca2+ signaling. They are using several techniques to approach this question including intracellular Ca2+ signaling, in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), protein purification using column chromatography, and the application of multiple agonists/antagonists of common signal transduction pathways.

In another line of research, they are trying to understand the regulation of Ca2+ release through the inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (IP3R). This receptor is thought to mediate the totality of Ca2+ release during fertilization in mammals. Furthermore, it undergoes specific degradation as the first cell cycle progresses, and this degradation appears to be exclusively associated with IP3 production. They are investigating whether or not changes in the cell cycle affect the conductivity of the receptor, and the pathway by which the receptor is degraded in mammalian eggs. To address these questions they are using kinase assays, western blotting, microinjection and inhibitors of the proteasome, expression of IP3R mRNAs and mutations of the receptor. They have also recently identified a new inhibitor of the IPR3R-1, KN-93, and are in the process of characterizing its mechanism of action.