Microvilli and cell-cell fusion during fertilization.
A number of fundamental biological processes, ranging from fertilization and embryonic development to viral infections, depend upon a complex interplay between cells that results in the fusion of their plasma membranes. Surprisingly, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cell-cell fusion remain largely unknown. Here, the authors discuss evidence suggesting that microvilli play a central role in fusion of many cells and present features of these actin-filled, cell-surface protrusions that might make them particularly well suited as cell-fusion organelles.
Dept of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9039, USA.
N F
NF
Wilson
W J
WJ
Snell
D000818:Animals; D002459:Cell Fusion / Q000502:physiology*; D002696:Chlamydomonas / Q000502:physiology; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008871:Microvilli / Q000502:physiology; D014780:Viruses / Q000472:pathogenicity