![zona alpha pdf zona alpha pdf](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_rAZSyhlR8A/maxresdefault.jpg)
In addition to the molecular complexity of both interactions there are similarities in structure, the types of molecules involved, and the downstream biological consequences. We argue that there are a number of parallels between the interaction of a sperm and egg and the interaction between T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs) that takes place at the “immune synapse” ( Paul and Seder, 1994 Friedl et al., 2005 Dustin, 2014 Martin-Cofreces et al., 2014). Here, we seek to expand this idea to the framework of a “fertilization synapse”. Recently, the idea has emerged that multiprotein complexes present on both membranes mediate cell-cell interaction and fusion ( Klinovska et al., 2014). The aim of this review is to place our current understanding of fertilization into a conceptual framework that may help to integrate the emerging discoveries in the field.
![zona alpha pdf zona alpha pdf](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c2/be/c6/c2bec6f70ec15227962222418d61008e.png)
However, IZUMO1-JUNO binding is not sufficient to induce cell-cell fusion ( Bianchi et al., 2014) and it is clear that there is more to the molecular nature of fertilization that remains to be discovered. This was finally accomplished for mice in 2014 when JUNO was identified as the egg receptor for the sperm protein IZUMO1 ( Bianchi et al., 2014).
![zona alpha pdf zona alpha pdf](https://i1.rgstatic.net/publication/11836128_Zona_pellucida_solubility_and_cortical_granule_complements_in_human_oocytes_following_assisted_reproductive_techniques/links/56941d0608aeab58a9a2dfb8/largepreview.png)
Up to this point the quest has largely been to find sperm-egg ligand-receptor pairs: a specific protein on the sperm that binds to a specific protein on the egg to drive adhesion and fusion of the two cells. Yet, despite the importance of successful fertilization for all sexually reproducing species, we know surprisingly little about the molecular underpinnings of this process, especially at the level of plasma membrane interaction and fusion.
Zona alpha pdf series#
At the cellular level, fertilization is a series of cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions between a sperm and egg that eventually result in cell fusion ( Yanagimachi, 1994). Broadly speaking, fertilization is the merging of two specialized cells – the gametes – to form a new organism.