A proper dialogue between spermatozoa and the egg is essential for conception of a new
individual in sexually reproducing animals. Ca2+ is crucial in orchestrating this unique event …

Vertebrate eggs are surrounded by an extracellular matrix with similar functions and
conserved individual components: the zona pellucida (ZP) glycoproteins. In mammals …

To distinguish the toxicity of whole oil droplets from compounds dissolved in water,
responses of zebrafish embryos exposed to particulate-laden, mechanically dispersed …

Zona pellucida binding protein 1 (ZPBP1), a spermatid and spermatozoon protein that
localizes to the acrosome, was originally identified in pigs and named for its binding to the …

The ovary is a dynamic organ that undergoes some of the most dramatic changes in
structure and function of any adult human tissue. The follicles are the major endocrine and …

The avian vitelline membrane (VM) is a multilayered proteinaceous structure separating egg
white from yolk. The innermost layer of the VM, deposited onto the oocyte plasma membrane …

ZP3, a major component of the zona pellucida (ZP) matrix coating mammalian eggs, is
essential for fertilization by acting as sperm receptor. By retaining a propeptide that contains …

Amyloids are highly ordered fibrous cross-β protein aggregates that are notorious primarily
because of association with a variety of incurable human and animal diseases (termed …

The zona pellucida (ZP) is a specialized extracellular coat that surrounds the plasma
membrane of mammalian eggs. Its presence is essential for successful completion of …

Fertilization by multiple sperm leads to lethal chromosomal number abnormalities, failed
embryo development, and miscarriage. In some vertebrate and invertebrate eggs, the so …