Stunning Spectacle: A Million-Year Biological Explosion Evolves Over Ages
In a groundbreaking study, researchers from Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, and Michigan State University have discovered that fertilized frog eggs release billions of zinc ions and manganese ions when fertilized. This finding, published in the journal Nature Chemistry, sheds light on the early chemistry of conception with roots dating back at least 300 million years.
The research, conducted at the Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Argonne, used electron microscopy to scan sections of frog eggs and embryos. The results were consistent: high concentrations of metals were found in pockets around the outer layer of the eggs. X-ray fluorescence microscopy at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), another DOE Office of Science User Facility at Argonne, was used to quantify the amount of zinc, manganese, and other metals in these pockets.
Both X-ray and electron microscopy showed that the metals in these pockets were almost completely released after fertilization. Teresa K. Woodruff, a leader of the Northwestern team and the person involved in the research on the release of zinc ions and manganese ions during fertilization, believes that atoms like zinc and manganese are critical to the first steps in development after fertilization.
The team also discovered that fertilized frog eggs eject manganese ions, which collide with sperm surrounding the fertilized egg and prevent them from entering. This could potentially explain the protective barrier around the fertilized egg.
Carole LaBonne, another senior author on the study, believes that the discovery of zinc and manganese sparks suggests there may be other fundamental signaling roles for these transition metals. The research could help shape future findings about how metals impact the earliest moments in human development.
Thomas O'Halloran, professor at Michigan State University and part of the original zinc spark discovery at Northwestern, is the senior author of the recent research paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry. The APS, one of the world's most productive X-ray light source facilities, provided the high-brightness X-ray beams necessary for this research.
The APS is currently undergoing a massive upgrade, which will increase the brightness of its X-ray beams by up to 500 times, potentially completing scans much more quickly or with higher spatial resolution. This upgrade could further accelerate the pace of research in this field.
Argonne National Laboratory, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357, seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology, managing the Advanced Photon Source. The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale.
The research was published in the journal Nature Chemistry with the DOI 10.1038/s41557-021-00705-2. The team is excited to explore whether manganese is released by human eggs when fertilized, potentially paving the way for further groundbreaking discoveries in human reproduction.
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