Victoria E. Deneke

This study identifies SPARK as a conserved multi-protein complex essential for vertebrate fertilization, linking gamete recognition to membrane fusion.

The paper identifies a conserved trimeric complex of Izumo1, Spaca6, and Tmem81 essential for sperm-egg interaction in vertebrates, showing their role in male fertility and binding to the egg protein Bouncer.

This study shows that DCST1 and DCST2 are essential for sperm-egg fusion in mice and zebrafish, with mutations leading to male infertility.

This study identifies Cul-5 as a regulator of nuclear positioning in Drosophila embryos and shows how the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio is sensed to control the mid-blastula transition.

This study shows that zebrafish Spaca6 is essential for fertilization by regulating Dcst2 levels and enabling sperm-egg membrane binding.