Pauli Lab

Research focus

ERC Consolidator Grant · 2021

Mechanism of vertebrate sperm-egg recognition and fusion

The life of every sexually reproducing being can be traced back to a singular event: the fusion of sperm and egg. Gamete fusion is perhaps the most critical step in the process of fertilization. However, the mechanisms underlying vertebrate sperm-egg fusion and the events that precede it (sperm-egg recognition) are largely unknown. Uncovering the molecular machinery and biophysical mechanisms mediating sperm-egg recognition and membrane fusion in vertebrates is therefore one of the biggest challenges in fertilization research. In this project we aim to uncover the mechanistic principles of vertebrate fertilization by exploiting the unique advantages of zebrafish as a vertebrate model in…

From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.