Populations of most sexual species are anisogamous, i.e. they consist of two types of individuals producing gametes of different size. The evolution of anisogamy is usually explained with models that either rely on mutations with large effects or are based on populations with pre-existing mating types. Here we present a model for the evolution of anisogamy that does not rely on either of those ...

Three recent studies find that the single-pass transmembrane protein HAP2 mediates gamete fusion and is remarkably similar to class II fusion proteins found in viruses such as dengue and Zika.

Hormones must be balanced and dynamically controlled for the Female Reproductive Tract (FRT) to function correctly during menstrual cycle, pregnancy, delivery. Gamete selection successful transfer uterus, where it implants pregnancy occurs, is supported by mucosal epithelial lining of FRT ovaries, cervix, fallopian tubes, vagina. Successful implantation placentation in humans other animals rely...

The algebra of gamete multiplication corresponding to a population of autotetraploids which differ at n loci, each with an arbitrary number of alleles, is proven to be a genetic algebra, irrespective of the mode of segregation of the n loci.

Cell-cell fusion between gametes is a defining step during development of eukaryotes, yet we know little about the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the gamete membrane fusion reaction. HAP2 is the sole gamete-specific protein in any system that is broadly conserved and shown by gene disruption to be essential for gamete fusion. The wide evolutionary distribution of HAP2 (also known as GCS1)...

Colchicine treatment of G. biloba microsporocytes results in a low mutation rate in the diploid (2n) male gamete. The mutation rate is significantly lower as compared to other tree species and impedes the breeding of new economic varieties. Proteomic analysis was done to identify the proteins that influence the process of 2n gamete formation in G. biloba. The microsporangia of G. biloba were tr...

In the hermaphrodite ascidian Ciona intestinalis, gamete self-incompatibility is a mechanism that prevents self-fertilization and is based on the ability of the oocyte vitelline coat to distinguish and accept only heterologous spermatozoa. The onset of self-sterility occurs during oogenesis and involves or is controlled by the follicle cells. Gamete self-nonself discrimination, a process that c...

Chemical communication between sperm and egg is a critical factor mediating sexual reproduction. Sperm attractants may be significant evolutionarily for maintaining species barriers, and important ecologically for increasing gamete encounters. Still unresolved, however, are the functional consequences of these dissolved signal molecules. Here, we provide experimental evidence that sperm chemoat...

Fertilization functions describe how the number of realized fertilizations depends on gamete numbers or density. They provide insight into the fertilization process, and are important components in models on the evolution of reproductive and sex-specific traits. Existing fertilization functions generally examine the proportion of fertilized eggs as a function of sperm numbers or density in a gi...

Cell-cell fusion between gametes is a defining step during development of eukaryotes, yet we know little about the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the gamete membrane fusion reaction. HAP2 is the sole gamete-specific protein in any system that is broadly conserved and shown by gene disruption to be essential for gamete fusion. The wide evolutionary distribution of HAP2 (also known as GCS1)...