BACKGROUND It has long been thought that the factors affecting embryo and foetal
development were exclusively maternally derived; hence, if issues regarding fertility and …

BACKGROUND Infertility affects between 10 and 16% of couples worldwide. Twenty to 30%
of cases of infertility are due to a male factor, 20–35% to a female factor, and 25–40% are …

In mammals, sperm–oocyte fusion initiates Ca2+ oscillations leading to a series of events
called oocyte activation, which is the first stage of embryo development. Ca2+ signaling is …

BACKGROUND Total fertilization failure (TFF) is the failure of all metaphase II oocytes to
fertilize in ART cycles. The phenomenon represents a known cause of infertility, affecting 1 …

In mammals, the sperm activates the development of the egg by triggering a series of
oscillations in the cytosolic-free Ca 2+ concentration (Ca 2+ i). The sperm triggers these …

Phospholipase C (PLC) family members constitute a family of diverse enzymes. Thirteen
different family members have been cloned. These family members have unique structures …

Sperm-specific phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) is widely considered to be the physiological
stimulus responsible for generating calcium (Ca2+) oscillations that induce egg activation …

Developmental arrest of the preimplantation embryo is a multifactorial condition,
characterized by lack of cellular division for at least 24 hours, hindering the in vitro …

Infertility affects approximately 15% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide, of which up to
30% of the cases are caused by male factors alone. The origin of male infertility is mostly …

The fertilizing spermatozoon is a highly specialized cell that selects from millions along the
female tract until the oocyte. The paternal components influence the oocyte activation during …