Fertilization calcium waves are introduced, and the evidence from which we can infer
general mechanisms of these waves is presented. The two main classes of hypotheses put …

BACKGROUND Mammalian oocytes are activated by intracellular calcium (Ca2+)
oscillations following gamete fusion. Recent evidence implicates a sperm-specific …

Although it is believed that mammalian sperm carry small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) into
oocytes during fertilization, it remains unknown whether these sperm-borne sncRNAs truly …

BACKGROUND In mammals, oocyte activation at fertilization is thought to be induced by the
sperm-specific phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ). However, it still remains to be conclusively …

BACKGROUND The complexity of fertilization failure during assisted reproductive
technologies (ART) is often under-appreciated, as this failure can occur at any number of …

Egg activation, which is the first step in the initiation of embryo development, involves both
completion of meiosis and progression into mitotic cycles. In mammals, the fertilizing sperm …

The capacity of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to permit almost any type of
spermatozoa to fertilize oocytes has made it the most successful treatment for male factor …

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 …

Abstract Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase Cs (PLCs) are expressed in all
mammalian cells and play critical roles in signal transduction. To obtain a comprehensive …

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 …