Publications by authors named "N G Brukman"
Article Synopsis
- The interaction between IZUMO1 on sperm and JUNO on oocytes is essential for gamete fusion.
- Ectopic expression of IZUMO1 can induce fusion between sperm and fibroblasts or epithelial cells that express JUNO, leading to the formation of syncytia, similar to the process seen in some animal viruses.
- This sperm-induced fusion depends on having the correct JUNO type, can be inhibited by an IZUMO1 antibody, and provides a quick method for assessing sperm functionality in male infertility diagnosis.
Mammalian sperm-egg adhesion depends on the trans-interaction between the sperm-specific type I glycoprotein IZUMO1 and its oocyte-specific GPI-anchored receptor JUNO. However, the mechanisms and proteins (fusogens) that mediate the following step of gamete fusion remain unknown. Using live imaging and content mixing assays in a heterologous system and structure-guided mutagenesis, we unveil an unexpected function for IZUMO1 in cell-to-cell fusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell fusion of female and male gametes is the climax of sexual reproduction. In many organisms, the Hapless 2 (HAP2) family of proteins play a critical role in gamete fusion. We find that Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of human malaria, expresses two HAP2 proteins: PfHAP2 and PfHAP2p.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Sexual reproduction in organisms involves meiosis for genome reduction and gamete fusion, with DNA repair mechanisms leading to meiotic recombination, but prokaryotes lack known fusogenic proteins like those used in eukaryotes.
- - Researchers identified archaeal proteins homologous to eukaryotic fusexins, which are crucial for cell fusion, and studied the crystal structure of Fusexin1 showing a unique six-helix bundle design.
- - Fusexin1 can facilitate the fusion of mammalian cells and is linked to genes in mobile elements, indicating potential roles in archaeal cell fusion and evolution of fusexin proteins.