| 研究実績の概要 |
During this project, I have made substantial progress in understanding the mechanism of mammalian fertilization and reproduction. From April 2022 to March 2024, I have published 5 first authored papers and 3 co-authored papers in international peer reviewed journals. Among these publications, I would like to highlight 3 discoveries that are very important to the field of sperm-egg fusion. First, in collaboration with Stanford University, we elucidated the molecular function of TMEM95 in human fertilization (Tang*, Lu* et al. 2022 PNAS). Using innovative in vitro assays (such as sperm penetration assay, biolayer interferometry analysis, antibody inhibitory assay), we found that unlike IZUMO1, TMEM95 plays a critical role after sperm-egg binding and that sperm TMEM95 has a putative receptor on the egg plasma membrane. Second, I discovered a testis-specific, type-II transmembrane protein, 1700029I15Rik, that regulates the biosynthesis of acrosomal membrane glycoproteins involved in sperm-egg fusion (e.g., IZUMO1, SPACA6, EQTN; Lu et al. 2023 PNAS). This finding marks the discovery of a novel protein biosynthesis pathway underpinning the correct assembly of fertilization machinery during sperm development. Third, in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, we deciphered the detailed structural and molecular mechanisms underlying zona pellucida block to polyspermy, which was a long-stand mystery in the field of fertilization.
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