Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (11): 4477-4487.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.11.005

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Research Progress of ERM Proteins in Mammalian Oocyte Maturation and Fertilization

SHAO Jing, ZHANG Ying, TANG Yu, XU Baozeng*   

  1. Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China
  • Received:2023-05-18 Online:2023-11-23 Published:2023-11-26

Abstract: Fertilization is the basic characteristic of sexual reproduction and forming the foundation of individual development. The maturation of oocytes is a prerequisite for successful fertilization and embryonic development. Oocytes are carefully regulated by a series of molecular mechanisms during maturation and fertilization. The ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins act as a bridge between the oocyte membrane and the cytoskeleton, which directly or indirectly mediate many of the signaling pathways found in recent years that regulated mammalian oocyte maturation and fertilization. Therefore, ERM proteins have likewise become the focus of research on such biological events. This paper reviewed the research progress of the ERM protein family in the process of oocyte maturation and fertilization by regulating the formation of microvilli, polar-body extrusion, the exchange of information between oocytes and granulose cells, and sperm-egg fusion. These will provide a theoretical reference for ensuring the success rate of in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization of mammalian oocytes and improving the reproductive efficiency of female mammals.

Key words: ERM proteins, membrane-cytoskeleton linkage, meiosis, fertilization

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