title: The cell biology of fertilization.
abstract: Research into the cell biology of mammalian fertilization has been stimulated by the desire to provide a theoretical framework for the development of novel approaches to contraception and the need to understand the cellular basis of human infertility. The results of such studies have revealed a complex cascade of interactions initiated by the contact between capacitated spermatozoa on the oocyte-cumulus complex and culminating in sperm-oocyte fusion. In this review we shall examine our current understanding of the fertilization process, highlighting the strategic importance of recent findings and key areas where information is lacking.
authors.affiliation: MRC Reproductive Biology Unit, Centre for Reproductive Biology, Edinburgh, Scotland.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Aitken
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000502:physiology