Figures & data
Figure 1. Fertilization-triggered autophagy degrades sperm-derived mitochondria and membranous organelles (MOs). Sperm MOs are specialized vesicular structures essential for sperm fertility. Sperm mitochondria and MOs enter the oocyte cytoplasm upon fertilization. Shortly after fertilization, ubiquitin (Ub)-signals are detected on MOs but not on the paternal mitochondria. Then sperm-derived mitochondria and MOs are sequestered by newly formed autophagosomes and degraded in lysosomes during early embryogenesis. This results in maternal inheritance of mitochondria and mtDNA. n, pronuclei.
