25 Results Found

In some non-mammalian eggs, the fusion of one egg and multiple sperm (polyspermy) induces a robust rise in intracellular calcium ion (Ca²⁺) concentration due to a shortage of inducers carried by a single sperm. Instead, one of the sperm nuclei is sel...

While alkaloids often exert unique pharmacological effects on animal cells, exposure of sea urchin eggs to nicotine causes polyspermy at fertilization in a dose-dependent manner. Here, we studied molecular mechanisms underlying the phenomenon. Althou...

Tannin (TA) improves porcine oocyte cytoplasmic maturation and subsequent embryonic development after in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, the mechanism through which TA blocks polyspermy after IVF remains unclear. Hence, the biological function of...

In starfish, the addition of the hormone 1-methyladenine (1-MA) to immature oocytes (germinal vesicle, GV-stage) arrested at the prophase of the first meiotic division induces meiosis resumption (maturation), which makes the mature eggs able to respo...

In flowering plants, fertilization is a complex process governed by precise communication between the male and female gametophytes. This review focuses on the roles of various female gametophyte cells—synergid, central, and egg cells—in f...

In sea urchins, the sequence of the cellular and molecular events characterizing the fertilization process has been intensively studied. We have learned that to activate the egg, the fertilizing sperm must undergo morphological modifications (the acr...

Hermaphroditic invertebrates and plants have a self-recognition system on the cell surface of sperm and eggs, which prevents their self-fusion and enhances non-self-fusion, thereby contributing to genetic variation. However, the system of sperm&ndash...

Immature starfish oocytes isolated from the ovary are susceptible to polyspermy due to the structural organization of the vitelline layer covering the oocyte plasma membrane, as well as the distribution and biochemical properties of the actin cytoske...

The increasing environmental release of nano-titanium dioxide (nTiO₂) due to its widespread industrial application raises concerns about its potential effects on aquatic ecosystems, particularly marine organisms. Fertilization, a critical reproductiv...

In sea urchin, the immediate contact of the acrosome-reacted sperm with the egg surface triggers a series of structural and ionic changes in the egg cortex. Within one minute after sperm fuses with the egg plasma membrane, the cell membrane potential...

Polyploid zygotes with a paternal gamete/genome excess exhibit arrested development, whereas polyploid zygotes with a maternal excess develop normally. These observations indicate that paternal and maternal genomes synergistically influence zygote de...

Building on our recent discovery of the zinc signature phenomenon present in boar, bull, and human spermatozoa, we have further characterized the role of zinc ions in the spermatozoa’s pathway to fertilization. In boar, the zinc signature diffe...

In mammals, the oviduct (or the Fallopian tube in humans) can be divided into the infundibulum (responsible for oocyte pick-up), ampulla (site of fertilization), isthmus (where preimplantation embryos develop), and uterotubal junction (where embryos...

Mammalian oocytes are surrounded by an extracellular coat called the zona pellucida (ZP), which, from an evolutionary point of view, is the most ancient of the coats that envelope vertebrate oocytes and conceptuses. This matrix separates the oocyte f...

Two species from the families Acipenseridae and Polyodontidae, Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, Brandt and Ratzeberg, 1833; functional tetraploid) and American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula, Walbaum 1792, functional diploid) were hybridiz...

The vitelline layer (VL) of a sea urchin egg is an intricate meshwork of glycoproteins that intimately ensheathes the plasma membrane. During fertilization, the VL plays important roles. Firstly, the receptors for sperm reside on the VL. Secondly, fo...

The objective of the present research was to study the effect of cold shock (3 °C and 6 °C) on fertilized eggs of the sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus L. Cold shock was applied for various durations (30, 60 and 90 min) and the ploidy levels, survi...

Phospholipase C zeta1 (Plcz1) was known to be a physiological factor in sperm that activates oocytes to complete meiosis by triggering Ca²⁺ oscillations after fertilisation. However, the role of male Plcz1 in spermatogenesis and early embryo developm...

The critical mechanism to restart zygote metabolism and prevent polyspermy during fertilization is the intracellular Ca²⁺ increase. All of the signaling molecules leading to the Ca²⁺ rise are not fully known in any species. In the sea star Patiria mi...

The zona pellucida (ZP) is a glycoprotein-rich extracellular matrix essential for fertilization, early embryonic development, and implantation. Beyond its core functions, the ZP undergoes dynamic remodeling during oocyte maturation, involving regulat...

The study of pig preimplantation embryo development has several potential uses: from agriculture to the production of medically relevant genetically modified organisms and from rare breed conservation to acting as a physiologically relevant model for...

Previous studies show that stressful events after ovulation in sows significantly impaired the embryo cleavage with a significant elevation of blood cortisol. However, the effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone...

Mammalian fertilization is triggered by a series of calcium (Ca²⁺) oscillations that are essential for egg activation and successful embryo development. It is widely accepted that Phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) is the sperm-derived factor that trig...

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the properties of sperm motility and morphology under induced oxidative stress, compare the antioxidant capacity of dithiothreitol (DTT) and glutathione (GSH) following the cryopreservation of Large White...

Phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) has emerged as a pivotal sperm-specific factor responsible for triggering oocyte activation, a process essential for successful fertilization and early embryogenesis. A narrative review was conducted to examine the mo...