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Role of CD9 in Sperm-Egg Fusion and Its General Role in Fusion Phenomena

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Cell Fusions

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Abstract

In fertilization, two types of sex cells or gametes – a sperm and an egg – unite in a stepwise manner to form a mother cell, which is capable of developing naturally into a new individual. Notably, the “membrane fusion” that occurs intercellularly between a sperm and an egg is essential for fertilization. A sperm factor that is delivered into the egg cytoplasm through fusion serves to activate a signaling pathway; this leads to the resumption of meiosis in the egg. In mammals, sperm-egg fusion is partly mediated by two integral membrane proteins, sperm Izumo (Inoue et al. 2005) and egg cluster of differentiation 9 (CD9) (Kaji et al. 2000, Le Naour et al. 2000, Miyado et al. 2000), and the roles played by both are critical but yet unknown. A recent study (Miyado et al. 2000) showed that CD9-containing vesicles are released from wild-type eggs, and that these exosome-like vesicles induce fusion between sperm and CD9-null eggs in vitro, even though CD9-null eggs are highly refractory to sperm-egg fusion. This result provides compelling evidence for the crucial involvement of CD9-containing, fusion-facilitating vesicles in sperm-egg fusion and offers new insight into both gamete fusion and other membrane fusion events.

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Abbreviations

ADAM:

A disintegrin and metalloprotease

CD:

Cluster of differentiation

GM3:

Monosialo ganglioside 3

EGFP:

Enhanced green fluorescent protein

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

HSP:

Heat shock protein

ICSI:

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection

LEL:

Large extracellular loop

MRP-1:

Motility-related protein 1

M:

Microvilli

PVS:

Perivitelline space

Tspan:

Tetraspanin

Z:

Zona pellucida

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Masaru Okabe, Dr. Kiyotaka Toshimori, Dr. Chizuru Ito, Dr. Naokazu Inoue, and Dr. Eisuke Mekada for their critical discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Reproductive Biology, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, 157-8535, Japan

    Natsuko Kawano, Yuichiro Harada, Keiichi Yoshida & Kenji Miyado

Authors
  1. Natsuko Kawano
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  2. Yuichiro Harada
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  3. Keiichi Yoshida
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  4. Mami Miyado
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  5. Kenji Miyado
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenji Miyado .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Division of Cell Biology, University of Copenhagen, Gronnegaardsvej 7, Frederiksberg C, 1870, Denmark

    Lars-Inge Larsson

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Kawano, N., Harada, Y., Yoshida, K., Miyado, M., Miyado, K. (2011). Role of CD9 in Sperm-Egg Fusion and Its General Role in Fusion Phenomena. In: Larsson, LI. (eds) Cell Fusions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9772-9_7

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