Reproduction Abstracts

The origin of a new organism requires the fusion of the female’s oocyte with the male’s sperm. The oocyte increases the chance for an encounter with a sperm by the release of chemoattractants, which provide chemical cues for the sperm to spot the egg. This mechanism termed ‘sperm chemotaxis’ is important for fertilization in many species. Sea urchins have served as a model organism for fertilization, in particular for sperm chemotaxis, since the early 20th ...