Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

How to attract a sperm

One of the most fundamental questions of fertilization is how do sperm locate eggs? In many animals and lower plant groups, sperm are guided by chemo-attractants released from eggs. In this issue of Nature Cell Biology, Kaupp and colleagues now examine the very early events of this process in the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Model of the chemotactic responses of sperm to resact.

References

  1. Vacquier, V.D. Science 281, 1995–1998 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Miller, R.L. Biology of Fertilization Vol. 2 (eds Metz C. B. & Monroy, A.) 275–337 (Academic Press, San Diego, 1985).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Kaupp, U.B. et al. Nature Cell Biol. 5, 109–117 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ralt, D. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 88, 2840–2844 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Garbers, D.L. Ann. Rev. Biochem. 58, 719–742 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ward, G.E., Brokaw, C.J., Garbers, D.L. & Vacquier, V.D. J. Cell Biol. 101, 2324–2329 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Darszon, A., Beltran, C., Felix, R., Nishigaki, T. & Trevino, C.L. Dev. Biol. 240, 1–14 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Cook, S.P., Brokaw, C.J., Muller, C.H. & Babcock, D.F. Dev. Biol. 165, 10–19 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bentley, J.K., Shimomura, H. & Garbers, D.L. Cell 45, 281–288 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Su, Y.H. & Vacquier, V.D. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99, 6743–6748 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Walensky, L.D., Roskams, A.J., Lefkowitz, R.J., Snyder, S.H. & Ronnett, G.V. Mol. Med. 1, 130–141 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Ward, G.E., Garbers, D.L. & Vacquier, V.D. Science 227, 768–770 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Drewett, J.G. & Garbers, D.L. Endocrine Rev. 15, 135–161 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ho, H.-C., Granish, K.A. & Suarez, S.S. Dev. Biol. 250, 208–217 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kirkman-Brown, J., Sutton, K. & Florman, H. How to attract a sperm. Nat Cell Biol 5, 93–95 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0203-93

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0203-93

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing