The Molecular And Cellular Biology Of Fertilization

The Molecular Biology of Fertilization focuses on the different aspects of fertilization in several models, including insects, clams, sea urchins, ascidians, cows, pigs, sheep, rats, hamsters, and humans. This book examines the experimental approaches using methods of molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics, immunology, and enzymology. Comprised of three parts encompassing 15 chapters, this book starts by discussing the ability of egg factors to affect sperm motility and initiate the acrosome reaction by modifying ion movements across the sperm plasma membrane. This text then provides an overview of the different aspects of egg architecture, ranging from extracellular remodeling to nuclei organization, which is involved in embryogenesis and fertilization. Finally, the last part deals with oncogenes, gene expression, and nuclear determination during embryogenesis and at fertilization. This book will be a great value to molecular biologists, cell biologists, reproductive biologists, developmental biologists, biophysicists, biochemists, geneticists, researchers, scientists, and students.

The Cell Biology of Fertilization provides an introduction to the various aspects of fertilization in several species, including nematodes, insects, ascidians, clams, sea urchins, rats, hamsters, cows, pigs, sheep, and humans. This text discusses the experimental approaches using methods of biophysics, biochemistry, enzymology, immunology, cell biology, and molecular biology. This book is comprised of three parts encompassing 15 chapters. Part I explores the ability of egg factors to affect sperm motility and initiate the acrosome reaction by modifying ion movements across the sperm plasma membrane. Part II considers the aspects of egg architecture, ranging from extracellular remodelling to nuclei organization, which is involved in embryogenesis and fertilization. Part III provides an overview of gene expression, oncogenes, and nuclear determination during embryogenesis and at fertilization. Cell biologists, developmental biologists, molecular biologists, geneticists, biophysicists, biochemists, reproductive biologists, scientists, researchers, and students will find this book extremely useful.

Reproduction is the origination of new organisms from pre-existing ones. Among more than 35 separated forms of reproduction including several types of gamogony, parthenogenesis, agamogenesis, fission and division, and plas motomy, the bisexual mode of reproduction via fertilization provides genetic variability that allows species to adapt quickly to competitive and constantly changing environments. Several excellent reviews and books have been written in the past to analyse the mechanisms of fertilization in different eukaryotic species. During the last few years, however, renewed attention has been paid to examining the process of oocyte fertilization at the cellular/molecular level not only within a single species/group but also through different phylogenetic lineages. As a result of this effort, knowledge of the molecular pathways used by oocytes and spermatozoa at fertilization has increased, but still many ques tions remain to be answered. Being aware of the necessity of providing an inte grated view of the process of fertilization, this book has been entirely devoted to reviewing the process of oocyte fertilization at the cellular/molecular level in two different and separated groups of eukaryotic organisms: protozoa and metazoan animals. The book is organized into six sections dealing with oocyte fertilization in protozoa, invertebrates, teleost fishes, amphibians, birds and mammals. These sections are followed by a summary/concluding chapter that provides a com parative overview of the process of fertilization in these groups of eukaryotes.

Gamete reansport / Susan S. Suarez -- Sperm motility activation and chemoattraction / Timothy A. Quill and David L. Garbers -- Capacitation / Bijay S. Jaiswal and Michael Eisenbach -- Function of the egg's extracellular matrix / Richard A. Cardullo and Catherine D. Thaler -- Sperm adhesion to the extracellular / Ming Bi, Michael J. Wassler, and Daniel M. Hardy -- Signal transduction mechanisms regulating sperm acrosomal exocytosis / Gregory S. Kopf -- Regulation of sperm ion currents / Alberto Darszon, Felipe Espinosa, Blanca Galindo, Daniel Sánchez, and Carmen Beltrán -- Function of the sperm acrosome/ George L. Gerton -- Gamete fusion in mammals / Paul Primakoff and Diana G. Myles -- Membrane events of egg activation / Karl Swann and Keith T. Jones -- Molecular genetics of fertilization / Patricia Olds-Clarke and Stephen H. Pilder -- Gemete immunobiology / M.G. O'rand and I.A. Lea -- Fertilization biophysics / D.P.L. Green -- Applications of fertility regulation for the management of ...

Biology of Fertilization, Volume 1: Model Systems and Oogenesis is the first in a three-volume series that gathers various lines of research about reproduction in general and fertilization in particular. Knowledge about cell biology, immunobiology, biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular genetics has progressed significantly beyond our understanding of some aspects of fertilization. Components of these constitute ""model systems."" The present volume includes reviews of such systems, some relatively simple model systems in lower organisms, sex-determining mechanisms, and oogenesis. The book contains 12 chapters organized into two sections. Section I includes studies on evolution, reproductive success, and immortality of the germ line; the structures and mechanisms involved in fertilization problems; and fertilization in Paramecium. Section II on oogenesis includes studies on gamete differentiation; sex-determining role of the H-Y antigen in mammals and non-mammals; the mechanism of starfish oocyte maturation; meiotic arrest in animal oocytes; and the mitotic and meiotic aspects of the mammalian germ cell life cycle.