Stunning Spectacle of Biological Evolution Spanning Over 300 Million Years
In a groundbreaking study, researchers at Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, and Michigan State University have uncovered a fascinating new aspect of the early stages of fertilization. The team, led by Professor Thomas O'Halloran of Michigan State University, has discovered that fertilized African clawed frog eggs release billions of zinc and manganese ions upon fertilization.
The research, published in the prestigious journal Nature Chemistry on June 21, relied heavily on the tools and expertise available at Argonne National Laboratory. The Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne provided state-of-the-art capabilities for fabricating, processing, characterizing, and modeling nanoscale materials. The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne, a U.S. DOE Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory, offered high-brightness X-ray beams to a diverse community of researchers.
X-ray and electron microscopy showed that the metals in these pockets were almost completely released after fertilization. X-ray fluorescence microscopy conducted at beamline 2-ID-D of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne quantified the amount of zinc, manganese, and other metals concentrated in small pockets around the outer layer of the eggs. Complementary scans were conducted using transmission electron microscopy at the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne.
The release of these ions has significant implications for understanding the interplay of dietary zinc status and human fertility. MSU Provost Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D., another senior author on the paper, believes that atoms like zinc and manganese are critical to the first steps in development after fertilization. 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 discovery of zinc sparks in human eggs five years ago has now been extended to frog eggs, suggesting a shared evolutionary history between the early chemistry of conception in both species. The team is excited to explore whether manganese is released by human eggs when fertilized, following the discovery of manganese sparks in African clawed frogs.
The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne is currently undergoing a massive upgrade, which will increase the brightness of its X-ray beams by up to 500 times. This upgrade will undoubtedly enable further groundbreaking discoveries in the field of fertility research.
The authors of the research article on the discovery of manganese sparks in frogs published in Nature Chemistry are affiliated with institutions in the United States. The research paper's other senior authors, O'Halloran and Carole LaBonne, are instrumental figures in the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute at Northwestern and remain members. The institute was founded by O'Halloran, and he was also a leader of the Northwestern team that discovered zinc sparks five years ago.
Read also:
- Trump's SNAP reductions and New York City Council's grocery delivery legislation: Problems for city residents highlighted
- Reducing dental expenses for elderlies in Sweden: Over 50% cut in charges for pensioners by the government
- Forty-year-old diet: A list of meal choices to savor
- Exiled Life's Conundrum: A Blend of Liberation, Disillusionment, and Distress
