This research shows how zona pellucida remodeling influences fertilization and embryo quality, suggesting enhanced techniques for assisted reproduction.
The zona pellucida (ZP) is a glycoprotein-rich extracellular matrix essential for fertiliza-tion, early embryonic development, and implantation. Beyond its core functions, the ZP undergoes dynamic remodeling during oocyte maturation, involving regulated synthesis, assembly and conformational changes. Oviductal glycoprotein 1 (OVGP1; oviductin) in-tegrates into the ZP, modulating pore size, glycan composition, and structural homogene-ity to establish a species-specific barrier that prevents polyspermy and fine-tunes sperm–oocyte interactions. Exploiting ZP remodeling in assisted reproductive technologies offers new opportunities to enhance fertilization efficiency, embryo quality, and implantation success, including via assisted hatching or modulating ZP properties to overcome fertility limitations.
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Fuente et al. (2025) studied this question.
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