Sperm Activates Egg with New Protein
(wz) Researchers have discovered a new protein involved in the fertilization of an egg by sperm, providing useful information for scientists developing reproductive technologies and for better understanding reproductive disorders.
When the membranes of the sperm head and egg start fusing and create an opening between them, the sperm cell releases proteins through the opening that activate the egg. This allows the sperm cell to further enter the egg and mix its material with that of the egg, thus creating one cell – the zygote. The egg activation steps are well known, but it is not yet clear which molecules initiate the activation process.
This article was featured as a »Paper of the Week« by the Journal of Biological Chemistry’s Editors, meaning that it belongs to the top one percent of papers reviewed in significance and overall importance.more…
From»FirstScience.com« (Newstipps – articles to be published in the April 20, 2007 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry (Vol. 282, No. 16) – further links available)