Sex at Atomic Resolution

Interspecies fertilization is rare, partly due to species separation enforced at the molecular level. In this issue, Raj et al. now reveal the crystal structures of mollusk egg coat protein, VERL, complexed with cognate sperm protein lysin. Given that VERL is structurally similar to mammalian ZP2, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCell Vol. 169; no. 7; pp. 1174 - 1176
Main Authors Hwang, Jae Yeon, Chung, Jean-Ju
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 15.06.2017
Subjects
Animals
Egg Proteins - chemistry
Fertilization
Male
Mollusca
Receptors, Cell Surface - chemistry
Spermatozoa
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Summary:Interspecies fertilization is rare, partly due to species separation enforced at the molecular level. In this issue, Raj et al. now reveal the crystal structures of mollusk egg coat protein, VERL, complexed with cognate sperm protein lysin. Given that VERL is structurally similar to mammalian ZP2, the mechanism elucidating species-specific gamete recognition likely exists in mammals. Interspecies fertilization is rare, partly due to species separation enforced at the molecular level. In this issue, Raj et al. now reveal the crystal structures of mollusk egg coat protein, VERL, complexed with cognate sperm protein lysin. Given that VERL is structurally similar to mammalian ZP2, the mechanism elucidating species-specific gamete recognition likely exists in mammals.
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ISSN:0092-8674
1097-4172
DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.043