Recent aspects of mammalian fertilization research.
Mammalian fertilization has been the subject of intensified research in recent times. Application of recombinant DNA, transgenic and gene targeting technology, in particular, to issues in mammalian fertilization has revolutionized the field. Here, we present some of the latest results coming from application of these and other technologies to four aspects of mammalian fertilization: 1. formation of the egg zona pellucida (ZP) during oocyte growth; 2. species-specific binding of sperm to the egg zona pellucida; 3. induction of the sperm acrosome reaction (AR) by the egg zona pellucida 4. binding of sperm to and fusion with egg plasma membrane. In virtually every instance, new information and new insights have come from relatively recent investigations.
Wassarman
Paul M
PM
Brookdale Department of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Annenberg 25-22, Box 1020, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. paul.wassarman@mssm.edu
Jovine
Luca
L
Qi
Huayu
H
Williams
Zev
Z
Darie
Costel
C
Litscher
Eveline S
ES
D020101:Acrosome Reaction / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008322:Mammals; D009865:Oocytes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000502:physiology*