The soluble sperm factor that activates the egg: PLCzeta and beyond

Abstract

PLCzeta(ζ) initiates Ca2+ oscillations and egg activation at fertilization in mammals, but studies in mouse eggs fertilized by PLCζ knockout (KO) sperm imply that there is another slow acting factor causing Ca2+ release. Here, I propose a hypothesis for how this second sperm factor might cause Ca2+ oscillations in mouse eggs.