Sexual reproduction is such a successful way of creating progeny with subtle genetic variations that the vast majority of eukaryotic species use it. In mammals, it involves the formation of highly specialised cells: the sperm in males and the egg in females, each carrying the genetic inheritance of an individual. The interaction of sperm and egg culminates with the fusion of their cell membranes, triggering the molecular events that result in the formation of a new genetically distinct organism. Although we have a good cellular description of fertilisation in mammals, many of the molecules involved remain unknown, and especially the identity and role of cell surface proteins that are responsible for sperm–egg recognition, binding, and fusion. Here, we will highlight and discuss these gaps in our knowledge and how the role of some recently discovered sperm cell surface and secreted proteins contribute to our understanding of this fundamental process.

有性繁殖是一种成功的产生具有细微遗传变异的后代的方法，以至于绝大多数真核生物都利用它。在哺乳动物中，它涉及高度专业化细胞的形成：雄性的精子和雌性的卵，每个都携带着个体的遗传遗传。精子和卵的相互作用随着细胞膜的融合而达到高潮，触发了分子事件，从而导致了新的遗传上不同的生物的形成。尽管我们对哺乳动物受精有很好的细胞描述，但许多涉及的分子仍然未知，尤其是负责精子-卵识别，结合和融合的细胞表面蛋白的身份和作用。这里，