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Fertilization

Fertilization

During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...

SNAREs and Membrane Fusion

SNAREs and Membrane Fusion

Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion.
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...

Cleavage and Blastulation

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.

Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

Cell division and enlargement are processes that require precise control. The control ensures that cell division cannot proceed unless the cell has grown to a specific size. A spherical, dividing cell requires an approximately 1.6X increase in its surface area to double its volume. The secretory pathway also has a significant role in cell membrane enlargement. Secretory vesicles that bud off from the Golgi apparatus and later fuse with the plasma membrane during exocytosis are a major source of...

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization

Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization

Published on: August 29, 2019

Membrane fusions during mammalian fertilization.

Bart M Gadella¹, Janice P Evans

¹Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and of Farm Animal Health, Research Program: Biology of Reproductive Cells, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. b.m.gadella@uu.nl

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

|March 25, 2011

Summary

Mammalian fertilization involves three key membrane fusion events: acrosome exocytosis, sperm-oocyte fusion, and cortical granule exocytosis. These processes ensure successful fertilization and prevent polyspermy.

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Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization

Evaluation of Fertilization State by Tracing Sperm Nuclear Morphology in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization

Published on: August 29, 2019

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy

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Published on: August 24, 2016

Cell-cell Fusion of Genome Edited Cell Lines for Perturbation of Cellular Structure and Function

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Published on: December 7, 2019

Area of Science:

Reproductive Biology
Cellular Biology
Membrane Fusion Dynamics

Background:

Fertilization requires sequential membrane fusion events.
Sperm must penetrate the oocyte's outer layers and fuse with its plasma membrane.
Preventing polyspermy is crucial for successful reproduction.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the distinct membrane fusion events critical for mammalian fertilization.
To detail the mechanisms underlying sperm-oocyte fusion and polyspermy prevention.

Main Methods:

Observation of acrosome exocytosis.
Analysis of sperm-oocyte plasma membrane fusion.
Investigation of cortical granule exocytosis and its role in polyspermy block.

Main Results:

Identified three essential membrane fusion events: acrosome reaction, oolemma fusion, and cortical reaction.
Demonstrated acrosome exocytosis enables zona pellucida penetration.
Confirmed cortical granule exocytosis creates blocks to polyspermy at both zona pellucida and oolemma levels.

Conclusions:

Mammalian fertilization is orchestrated by a series of precisely regulated membrane fusion events.
These fusion events are critical for gamete interaction, penetration, and prevention of polyspermy.
Understanding these mechanisms provides insights into reproductive processes and potential fertility interventions.