EMBO Member

Luca Jovine

Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge | Sweden

EMBO 2018

Molecular basis of egg-sperm interaction

Fertilization is a fundamental step in the life cycle of all higher organisms: through species-restricted recognition and fusion of egg and sperm, a new individual is created. My group aims at unveiling the molecular basis of this essential biological problem by using structural biology to directly visualize the interface between gametes, with implications for human infertility and non-hormonal contraception.

Keywords: Structural biology / fertilization / egg-sperm interaction / gamete fusion / egg coat / zona pellucida module proteins / ZP domain / protein-protein interactions / protein polymerization

Subject area(s): Development | Proteins & Biochemistry | Structural Biology & Biophysics

Links: orcid.org/0000-0002-2679-6946