File:Mouse-fertilization 02.jpg

Sperm Swims Around within the PVS Prior to Fertilization

(A) Typical morphology of a MII oocyte with the meiotic chromosomes located in one “shoulder.” (B and C) Sequential DIC (differential interference contrast) images of embryos during in vitro fertilization. (1) Sperm penetrates the ZP. (2 and 3) Sperm swims around the PVS. (4) Sperm hits the 1pb. (5) Sperm binds the oocyte membrane. (6) 2pb extrudes and the fertilization cone forms. White arrowheads indicate the sperm, red arrowheads the 1pb, and yellow arrowheads the collapsing (B) or rotating (C) 1pb. White and red asterisks mark the fertilization cone and the 2pb, respectively. Scale bars in (A) and (B1) represent 20 microns.

Figure 3. Journal.pbio.0040135.g003.jpg

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040135.g003

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.0040135

Citation: Motosugi N, Dietrich J-E, Polanski Z, Solter D, Hiiragi T (2006) Space Asymmetry Directs Preferential Sperm Entry in the Absence of Polarity in the Mouse Oocyte. PLoS Biol 4(5): e135. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040135

Academic Editor: Hiroshi Hamada, Osaka University, Japan

Received: October 13, 2005; Accepted: February 24, 2006; Published: April 25, 2006

Copyright: © 2006 Motosugi et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.