The molecular complexity of fertilization: Introducing the concept of a fertilization synapse.
Submitted by Matthew Marcello on
Title | The molecular complexity of fertilization: Introducing the concept of a fertilization synapse. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2016 |
Authors | Krauchunas, AR, Marcello, MR, Singson, A |
Journal | Mol Reprod Dev |
Volume | 83 |
Issue | 5 |
Pagination | 376-86 |
Date Published | 2016 05 |
ISSN | 1098-2795 |
Keywords | Animals, Female, Humans, Male, Signal Transduction, Sperm-Ovum Interactions, Synapses |
Abstract | The details of sperm-egg interactions remain a relative mystery despite many decades of research. As new molecular complexities are being discovered, we need to revise the framework in which we think about fertilization. As such, we propose that fertilization involves the formation of a synapse between the sperm and egg. A cellular synapse is a structure that mediates cell adhesion, signaling, and secretion through specialized zones of interaction and polarity. In this review, we draw parallels between the immune synapse and fertilization, and argue that we should consider sperm-egg recognition, binding, and fusion in the context of a "fertilization synapse." Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 376-386, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |
DOI | 10.1002/mrd.22634 |
Alternate Journal | Mol. Reprod. Dev. |
PubMed ID | 26970099 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC4993202 |
Grant List | K12 GM093854 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States R01 HD054681 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States |