Nitric oxide donor s-nitroso-n-acetyl penicillamine (SNAP) alters meiotic spindle morphogenesis in Xenopus oocytes.

Nitric Oxide (NO) has been involved in both intra- and extra-cellular signaling pathways in a wide range of organisms, and can be detected in some reproductive tissues. Based upon previous results reporting that NO-donor SNAP (s-nitroso-n-acetyl penicillamine) promoted the release from the metaphase II-anaphase II block in amphibian eggs, the aim of the present study was to assess the influence of SNAP on the activation of the molecular mechanisms triggering meiotic resumption of Xenopus oocytes, analogous to G2/M transition of the cell cycle. A high concentration of SNAP (2.5 mM) was found to inhibit the appearance of the white spot (meiotic resumption) and promoted alteration of spindle morphogenesis leading to atypical structures lacking bipolarity and correct chromosomes equatorial alignment. The medium acidification (pH = 4) promoted by SNAP specifically impacted the white spot occurrence. However, even when pH was restored to 7.4 in SNAP medium, observed spindles remained atypical (microtubule disorganization), suggesting SNAP impacted spindle assembly regardless of the pH. n-Acetyl-d,l-penicillamine disulfide, a degradation product of SNAP with the same molecular characteristics, albeit without release of NO, yielded spindle assemblies typical of metaphase II suggesting the specificity of NO action on meiotic spindle morphogenesis in Xenopus oocytes.