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A profile of fertilization in mammals

Nature Cell Biology volume 3, pages E59–E64 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Fertilization is defined as the process of union of two gametes, eggs and sperm. When mammalian eggs and sperm come into contact in the female oviduct, a series of steps is set in motion that can lead to fertilization and ultimately to development of new individuals. The pathway begins with species-specific binding of sperm to eggs and ends a relatively short time later with fusion of a single sperm with each egg. Although this process has been investigated extensively, only recently have the molecular components of egg and sperm that participate in the mammalian fertilization pathway been identified. Some of these components may participate in gamete adhesion and exocytosis, whereas others may be involved in gamete fusion. Here we describe selected aspects of mammalian fertilization and address some of the latest experimental evidence that bears on this important area of research.

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Figure 1: Binding of sperm to the egg zona pellucida.
Figure 2: Modular architecture of representative proteins containing ZP domains.
Figure 3: Events associated with the ZP3-mediated acrosome reaction in mammalian sperm.

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Acknowledgements

We thank our laboratory colleagues, past and present, for their valuable contributions to our research on mammalian fertilization. We are especially grateful to H. Qi and Z. Williams for discussion and assistance. We are currently supported in part by the NICHD (grant no. HD-35105).

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  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, 10029-6574, New York, USA

    Paul M. Wassarman, Luca Jovine & Eveline S. Litscher

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Correspondence to Paul M. Wassarman.

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Wassarman, P., Jovine, L. & Litscher, E. A profile of fertilization in mammals. Nat Cell Biol 3, E59–E64 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35055178

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