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Department of Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
Mature oocytes of Drosophila are arrested in
metaphase of meiosis I. Upon activation by ovulation
or fertilization, oocytes undergo a series of rapid
changes that have not been directly visualized previously. We report here the use of the Nonclaret disjunctional (Ncd) microtubule motor protein fused to the
green fluorescent protein (GFP) to monitor changes in
the meiotic spindle of live oocytes after activation in
vitro. Meiotic spindles of metaphase-arrested oocytes
are relatively stable, however, meiotic spindles of in
vitro-activated oocytes are highly dynamic: the spindles
elongate, rotate around their long axis, and undergo an
acute pivoting movement to reorient perpendicular to
the oocyte surface. Many oocytes spontaneously complete the meiotic divisions, permitting visualization of
progression from meiosis I to II. The movements of the
spindle after oocyte activation provide new information
about the dynamic changes in the spindle that occur upon re-entry into meiosis and completion of the meiotic divisions. Spindles in live oocytes mutant for a lossof-function ncd allele fused to gfp were also imaged.
The genesis of spindle defects in the live mutant oocytes provides new insights into the mechanism of Ncd
function in the spindle during the meiotic divisions.
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