Figure 4

Single-cell analysis of unfertilized Xenopus eggs. MAPK phosphorylation state (a) and caspase 3 activity (b) were determined in the single unfertilized eggs #1-10 taken at different times (12 - 48 hours) after their deposition into OR-2 buffer. Eggs #1-3 were collected within 12 hours of ovulation, eggs #4-8 - within 18-36 hours, and eggs #9-10 - at 48 hours after ovulation. The control egg E was withdrawn immediately after its deposition. Relative intracellular ATP content (c), ADP/ATP ratio (d), and egg diameter (e) were determined for the eggs #3, 4, 9, and E. Bars in (b) and (e) represent the range of duplicate measurements. The total number of eggs taken for the single-cell analysis was 39, among them, 10 eggs were collected within 12 hours of ovulation, 22 eggs - within 18-36 hours, and 7 eggs - at 48 hours after ovulation.