ArticleEMBO reports2026
Roles of the zona pellucida in gamete fusion and of the perivitelline space in blocking polyspermy in mice.
Article in EMBO reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Molecular interplay between sperm and oocyte: a narrative review.Human reproduction update · 2026Review
- The SPARK complex forms the molecular basis of vertebrate fertilization.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The mechanisms regulating gamete fusion and preventing polyspermy in mammalian fertilization remain incompletely understood. This study combines real-time imaging, confocal microscopy and statistical analysis to investigate fertilization and polyspermy prevention dynamics in mice. By tracking the behavior of over one hundred spermatozoa entering the perivitelline space of oocytes, we dissect the respective contributions of oocyte structures (zona pellucida (ZP), perivitelline space (PVS), oolemma) and sperm components (head, flagellum) to fertilization and polyspermy prevention. We find that fertilization requires specific sperm head movements on the oolemma, driven by flagellar beating and facilitated by trapping the flagellum in the ZP, revealing a novel role for this structure. Our kinetic analysis characterizes a slow "penetration block" that gradually limits sperm entry into the PVS and a faster "fusion block" that prevents further fusion events. As the penetration block becomes significant after the fusion block is established, only the latter effectively prevents polyspermy in mice. We propose that it acts through neutralization of excess sperm in the PVS by oocyte-derived proteins CD9 and JUNO coating non-fertilizing spermatozoa.
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Registered trials
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