Involvement of cAMP in the cytoplasmic control of meiotic cell division in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

1) There is a large body of evidence for an inhibitory role for cAMP in progesterone induced meiosis in amphibian oocytes consistent with its known inhibitory activity in mammalian oocytes (5,26). It implies that the action of steroid hormones in this particular tissue is mediated by modifications of cAMP levels within the cell. 2) Bacterial toxins have proved to be useful reagents in the investigation of the regulatory role of cyclic nucleotides in the resumption of cell division in amphibian oocytes. 3) The possible involvement of cGMP in these processes needs to be further investigated.