Human fertilization process discovered

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　　An international team of researchers found that a sugar chain known as the sialyl-lewis-x sequence (SLeX) makes the outer coat of the egg “sticky,” which has proven to be helpful in binding⁴ the egg and the sperm.

　　As a result, this observation has filled in a huge gap in the understanding of fertility and provides hope for ultimately helping⁵ couples who currently cannot conceive.

　　Scientists and doctors know that a sperm identifies an egg when proteins on the head of the sperm match and bind³ to a series of specific sugars in the egg’s outer coating. With a successful match of proteins, the outside surfaces of the sperm and egg then bind together before merging⁶, which is then followed by delivery of sperm’s DNA⁷ into egg.

　　To identify this molecules⁸, the researchers used ultra-sensitive mass-spectrometric imaging technology to observe and identify which molecules are most likely to be key in the binding process.

　　They experimented with a range of synthesised sugars in the laboratory and found that it is SLeX that specifically binds⁹ sperm to an egg.

　　According to the World Health Organisation¹⁰, infertility affects about 15 percent of reproductive-aged couples around the world and almost one in every seven couples in Britain has problems conceiving a child for various reasons.

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