The endopeptidases ECS1 and ECS2 regulate double fertilization and their modulation is a powerful tool for the induction of haploids and the formation of triparental plants, which are two agronomically relevant breeding targets.

The double helix actin network surrounding the mitochondrial sheath of the sperm midpiece undergoes structural changes prior to the motility cessation during sperm-egg fusion.

Limiting cytoplasmic streaming contributes to maintaining spatial separation of the sperm contents from the female meiotic spindle after fertilization.

Genetic analyses in mice identifies Rlim in the spermatogenic cell lineage as a regulator of cytoplasmic reduction during spermiogenesis.

Auxin is produced in the endosperm after fertilization and drives the development of the seed coat in Arabidopsis.

Seminal fluid harbours the as yet unknown mechanism that facilitates rapid adjustment of sperm velocity in response to changing sperm competition risk.

Gamete-derived three-amino-acid-loop-extension homeodomain proteins activate zygote development in a strikingly similar manner between basal land plants and green algae, indicating an ancestral role of these transcription factors in green plants.

On different bacterial diets, which also serve as different environments for Caenorhabditis elegans, specific sensory neurons and insulin-like peptides integrate food-derived signals to modulate oocyte biology, and hence reproduction.

Mammalian fertilization is accomplished through integrating various molecular pathways that include evolutionarily conserved factors, DCST1 and DCST2.

Sperm and egg development are temperature sensitive, enabling males and females to significantly improve their reproductive success by matching gamete function to varying thermal environments for fertilisation and offspring development.