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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...

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.

The Angiosperm Life Cycle

The Angiosperm Life Cycle

Plants have a life cycle split between two multicellular stages: a haploid stage—with cells containing one set of chromosomes—and a diploid stage—with cells containing two sets of chromosomes. The haploid stage is the gamete-producing gametophyte, and the diploid stage is the spore-producing sporophyte.

Spermatogenesis

Spermatogenesis

Spermatogenesis is the process by which haploid sperm cells are produced in the male testes. It starts with stem cells located close to the outer rim of seminiferous tubules. These spermatogonial stem cells divide asymmetrically to give rise to additional stem cells (meaning that these structures “self-renew”), as well as sperm progenitors, called spermatocytes. Importantly, this method of asymmetric mitotic division maintains a population of spermatogonial stem cells in the male reproductive...

In Vitro Fertilization

In Vitro Fertilization

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a form of assisted reproductive technology where an egg is fertilized with sperm in a controlled laboratory environment before transferring the resulting embryo into the uterus. This process is designed to help individuals and couples experiencing difficulties conceiving.
The IVF process begins with ovarian stimulation, during which reproductive endocrinologists prescribe hormonal medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of the single...

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

A Method for Microinjection of Patiria minata Zygotes

A Method for Microinjection of Patiria minata Zygotes

Published on: September 1, 2014

Fertilization in echinoderms.

Luigia Santella¹, Filip Vasilev, Jong T Chun

¹Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale 1, Napoli 80121, Italy. santella@szn.it

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

|August 29, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sea urchin and starfish eggs are key models for studying fertilization, revealing shared patterns and subtle differences due to their ancient evolutionary divergence. This review highlights these similarities and distinctions in echinoderm fertilization.

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High Throughput Microinjections of Sea Urchin Zygotes

High Throughput Microinjections of Sea Urchin Zygotes

Published on: January 21, 2014

Area of Science:

Reproductive Biology
Developmental Biology
Marine Biology

Background:

Echinoderms, including sea urchins and starfish, have been extensively used as model organisms for fertilization research for over 150 years.
Despite belonging to the same phylum, these species exhibit distinct fertilization mechanisms shaped by approximately 500 million years of separate evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and compare the similarities and differences in fertilization processes between sea urchins and starfish.
To highlight key findings from seminal and recent research in echinoderm fertilization.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of existing literature on sea urchin and starfish fertilization.
Review of experimental findings on gamete interactions, acrosome reaction, and egg activation.

Main Results:

Both sea urchins and starfish share fundamental similarities in their fertilization pathways.
Significant differences exist in species-specific recognition, sperm-egg binding, and the cortical reaction, reflecting their phylogenetic distance.

Conclusions:

Understanding the nuances in sea urchin and starfish fertilization provides critical insights into evolutionary reproductive strategies.
Comparative studies of these model organisms continue to advance the field of reproductive biology and fertilization mechanisms.