Gene involved in sperm-to-egg binding is key to fertility in
mammals (1 May 2012) Experts from Durham University have
identified a new gene that could help the development of
fertility treatments in humans in the future. Scientists from
Durham University, UK, and Osaka University, Japan, looking at
fertility in mice, have discovered for the first time that the
gene, which makes a protein called PDILT, enables sperm to bind
to an egg, a process essential to fertilisation. The team found
that when the gene was 'switched off' in male mice, less than
three per cent of females' eggs were fertilised compared to more
than 80 per cent in mice when the gene was left switched on. It
is the first time that a gene of this type has been linked to
fertility. The researchers also found that the cumulus cells, a
cluster of cells surrounding and protecting an egg, play an
important role in fertility - their presence enables sperm to
bind properly to an egg. Although the research and findings are
at an early stage, the researc