Luca Jovine

GRC Fertilization and Activation of Development, 1–6 August 2027 Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands Chair Luca Jovine @jovinelab.org, Vice Chair Jean-Ju Chung @jeanjuchung.bsky.social Preliminary program is now online and registration is open: www.grc.org/fertilizatio...

#GRC #GRS #Fertilization #ReproductiveBiology #DevelopmentalBiology #EarlyDevelopment

12h

A clickable PDF flyer for the meeting can be downloaded from: jovinelab.org/grc/grc_fert... Please disseminate it!

As is tradition, the conference will be preceded by the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), co-chaired by Sara Pietroforte and Analia Novero Registration is also open: www.grc.org/fertilizatio...

biorxiv.orgHow a single sperm protein recognizes highly divergent egg coat componentsFor successful fertilization, sperm must recognize and penetrate the egg coat, called vitelline envelope (VE) or, in mammals, zona pellucida (ZP). In abalone, sperm acrosomal protein lysin dissolves t...

New preprint: how does one sperm protein "key" recognize two different egg-coat receptors — the real "lock", and a decoy? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Together, these studies provide atomic-resolution glimpses into the complexity of molecular recognition events regulating the beginning of a new life.

This research would have not been possible without support from @ki.se, @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social and @kawresearch.bsky.social. We also thank @diamondlightsource.bsky.social and @esrf.fr for precious beamtime. #Reproduction #Fertilization #GameteRecognition #ZonaPellucida #StructuralBiology

New preprint: how does one sperm protein "key" recognize two different egg-coat receptors — the real "lock", and a decoy? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Almost 10 years ago, we solved structures of abalone sperm lysin/egg VERL complexes to provide the first example of gamete protein recognition at the very beginning of fertilization — demonstrating a key/lock paradigm hypothesized by Frank Lillie in 1914 (doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...).

news.cnrs.frFields day for Hong Wang

Today, we show how a highly sequence-divergent decoy, egg coat subunit VEZP14, competes for the pool of sperm "keys" available to the true egg "lock," using a distinct induced-fit mechanism.

Luca Jovine reposted

CNRS

@cnrs.fr

23 July

Hong Wang, a mathematician at the IHES Institute for Advanced Scientific Studies, has been awarded the prestigious Fields Medal for solving the Kakeya conjecture in three dimensions, in collaboration with Joshua Zahl. 🏅📚

6 July

Looking forward to talk about egg coat structure and egg-sperm interaction @eshre.bsky.social 2026! #ESHRE2026 #zp #egg #sperm #fertilization #zonapellucida

1 July

Susan was a bright and kind light in our world, who will be missed and remembered fondly

Study for the Society of Reproduction@ssrepro.bsky.social

SSR mourns the passing of Past President Susan Stevens Suarez, PhD (2012–2013), Professor Emeritus at Cornell. Recognized worldwide for pioneering sperm research, she will be remembered for her deep commitment to mentorship and service. We extend our condolences to her family and colleagues.

simonsfoundation.orgIntroducing ROCKET: An Upgrade to AlphaFold That Learns From Raw Experimental DataIntroducing ROCKET: An Upgrade to AlphaFold That Learns From Raw Experimental Data on Simons Foundation

21 Apr

Fun to talk about how #AlphaFold and #ROCKET can help #crystallography and #cryoEM studies of #fertilization at this year's American Society of Andrology meeting in Phoenix! andrologysociety.org/annual-meeti... #ASA #reproductivebiology #andrology

Luca Jovine reposted

Flatiron Institute

@flatironinstitute.org

4 Apr

#FlatironCCM researchers have developed a new tool called ROCKET that extends the capabilities of AlphaFold by directly learning from raw experimental data: https://bit.ly/4dUTZkG #science #math

Starting from an #AlphaFold-Multimer prediction, we used #ROCKET to build a model of ZPD, a homopolymeric zona pellucida (#ZP) protein, into an initial #cryo-EM map at only ~9 Å resolution. A subsequently obtained 4.6 Å map highlighted how superior the ROCKET model was over the initial prediction:

This underscores the overall conservation of egg coat filament structure.

Together with Suresh Banjara and Hiroki Okumura, I'd like to again thank @alisiafadini.bsky.social, @moalquraishi.bsky.social and the whole #ROCKET team - as well as @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social and @kawresearch.bsky.social for supporting our part of the work!

Ultimately, this helped us determine the first cryo-EM structure of a native vertebrate egg coat filament (www.rcsb.org/structure/28YJ):

Despite containing an EGF domain and forming homopolymers like urinary ZP module protein #uromodulin (PDB 6TQK), the ZPD filament resembles more closely the ZP3/ZP1 heteropolymer, whose structure we recently determined by #crystallography (PDB 8RKI, 8BQU).

rdcu.beAlphaFold as a prior: experimental structure determination conditioned on a pretrained neural networkNature Methods - ROCKET improves experimental structure elucidation by integrating implicit structural knowledge from OpenFold, a trainable reimplementation of AlphaFold2, with X-ray...

Very happy to have had a chance to attack an initially very low-resolution #cryo-EM map with #ROCKET! Thank you again @alisiafadini.bsky.social and all other co-authors of this important work, which truly shows the power of combining experimental structural biology and #AI inference. rdcu.be/fa9YH

Alisia Fadini@alisiafadini.bsky.social

ROCKET 🚀 inference-time optimization of AlphaFold to fit structural data is published! rdcu.be/fa9YH Since our preprint, we’ve pushed it to regimes where other methods break: low resolution, weak signal, real experimental edge cases. Here’s what we learned: 1/15

lemonde.frLa piste des anticorps comme moyen de contraceptionLes recherches se multiplient pour utiliser ces protéines naturelles comme méthode contraceptive non hormonale. Mais leur mise sur le marché ne devrait pas intervenir avant dix ans ou quinze ans.

11 Mar

Nice to see our work on #ZP2-targeted female nonhormonal #contraception featured in today's @lemonde.fr: www.lemonde.fr/sciences/art... Merci Juliette Baëza! Original @pnas.org paper → www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

sierr.itXI NAZIONALE SIERR 2026La SIERR è una società scientifica, senza finalità di lucro, costituita da Biologi, Biotecnologi e Medici che operano in laboratori di procreazione assistita.

6 Mar

Having a blast at XI NAZIONALE SIERR 2026 meeting in #Rome, with @enricabianchi.bsky.social and many other excellent italian scientists! www.sierr.it/eventi/xi-co...

16 Feb

Delighted to deliver an invited lecture at this year's TI-FRIS/FRIS Symposium in Sendai! A highly interdisciplinary meeting bringing together diverse fields through excellent science: lnkd.in/d5XqH7ZV

24 Jan

Thrilled to announce that the GRC Fertilization and Activation of Development and associated GRS will come to Europe for the first time in 2027! Join us in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, 31 July–6 August 2027. Mark your calendars and help us spread the word! #GRC #GRS #Fertilization #Development

24 Jan

URL for the GRC, which I will have the honor to co-organize together with @jeanjuchung.bsky.social : www.grc.org/fertilizatio...

24 Jan

URL for the GRS, which will be co-chaired by Sara Pietroforte and Analia Novero: www.grc.org/fertilizatio...

10 Nov 2025

Excited to attend this #SMART symposium on protein science in impressive Shenzhen!

29 Oct 2025

Long-awaited OpenFold3 is out!

Mohammed AlQuraishi@moalquraishi.bsky.social

OpenFold3-preview (OF3p) is out: a sneak peek of our AF3-based structure prediction model. Our aim for OF3 is full AF3-parity for every modality. We now believe we have a clear path towards this goal and are releasing OF3p to enable building in the OF3 ecosystem. More👇

youtube.comHFSP Nakasone Award 2025 Lecture – Jacob Hanna on Synthetic Embryo ModelsIn this official HFSP Nakasone Award lecture, Professor Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna of the Weizmann Institute of Science shares the groundbreaking research that earn...

14 Aug 2025

Great to get another peek at this story, after hosting @jacob-hanna.bsky.social as keynote speaker of our recent #GRC on Fertilization and Activation of Development!

Human Frontier Science Program@hfspo.bsky.social

🧪 From petri dish to embryo model: @jacob-hanna.bsky.social work shows how naïve pluripotent stem cells can self-organize into advanced developmental stages. The 2025 #HFSPNakasoneAward lecture reveals the science behind synthetic embryo models. Full lecture 🎥 👉 zurl.co/Tgf4f #sts

22 July 2025

Excited that the Gordon Research Conference on Fertilization and Activation of Development 2025 (and associated GRS) is just a few days away! www.grc.org/fertilizatio... www.grc.org/fertilizatio... #GRC #GRS #fertilization #development #egg #sperm

22 July 2025

It will be an honor to co-chair this #GRC, which has long been my favorite meeting and brings together a fantastic community of researchers working on gamete biology and early development.

22 July 2025

Huge thanks to my partners in crime — Rafael Fissore, @virginiasavy.bsky.social and Shweta Bhagwat — it’s been a real pleasure to shape this program with you over the course of the past two years. Very much looking forward to reconnecting with old colleagues and meeting new ones!

nytimes.comWimbledon final: Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz to win first Wimbledon titleFive weeks after their French Open classic, Sinner outplayed Alcaraz from the baseline to win his first Wimbledon title.

13 July 2025

👍🎾🇮🇹

The New York Times@nytimes.com

Breaking News from @theathletic.bsky.social: Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a 4-set duel to win his first Wimbledon title.

Luca Jovine reposted

Sergey Ovchinnikov

@sokrypton.org

12 July 2025

Molecular cat tweezers? 😺

Luca Jovine reposted

Meera Sundaram

@meera-sundaram.bsky.social

17 May 2025

Up on biorxiv! The tour de force protein tagging atlas for the #Celegans cuticle #aECM - from Jordan Ward @gotworms.bsky.social and Andrew Chisholm labs. So many beautiful images of cuticle collagen substructures !! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.orgMultiscale patterning of a model apical extracellular matrix revealed by systematic endogenous protein taggingBarrier epithelia are shielded from the external environment by their apical extracellular matrices (aECMs). The molecular complexity of aECMs has challenged understanding of their organization in viv...

svt.seNy forskning kan leda till hormonfritt preventivmedelJakten på ett hormonfritt preventivmedel har pågått i många år. Nu har forskare på KI upptäckt ett sätt att stoppa befruktning med hjälp av antikroppar. – Det hade gett kvinnor möjligheten att själva ...

11 May 2025

Thanks @svtnyheter.bsky.social for covering our #ZP2 non-hormonal #contraception story! www.svt.se/nyheter/inri... @ki.se @esrf.fr @pnas.org @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social @kawresearch.bsky.social

embopress.orgDetermining the effects of pseudouridine incorporation on human tRNAs | The EMBO JournalimageimagetRNAs harbour a complex set of modifications which are important for their function. Here, single particle cryo-EM, biophysics, and computational analyses of the effects of pseudouridine inc...

30 Apr 2025

As an old tRNA aficionado, can't help loving this beautiful tour-de-force cryo-EM work on one of nature's coolest molecules! Congrats @sebastianglatt.bsky.social and colleagues!!!

Sebastian Glatt@sebastianglatt.bsky.social

We are very excited about our latest work, which just came out @embojournal.org – www.embopress.org/doi/full/10..... The work @MCB_UJ was driven by Anna Biela and Ting-Yu Lin 林亭妤 in collaboration with @jmbujnicki.bsky.social…a short🧵

23 Apr 2025

Changed handle to @jovinelab.org !

www.forskning.se/2025/04/17/i...

23 Apr 2025

forskning.sePreventivmedel utan hormoner – med hjälp av antikroppar - forskning.seMed hjälp av antikroppar kan man blockera befruktning på äggets yta. Nu har forskare tagit ett steg närmare ett hormonfritt preventivmedel.

esrf.frNon-hormonal contraception visualised with X-rays

Thanks again @esrf.fr ! www.esrf.fr/sites/www/ho...

news.ki.seNew step taken towards non-hormonal contraceptionA new study from Karolinska Institutet shows how a small antibody fragment can block fertilisation by targeting a key protein on the surface of the egg. This discovery brings a non-hormonal contracept...

New step taken towards non-hormonal contraception news.ki.se/new-step-tak...

pnas.orgStructural basis of ZP2-targeted female nonhormonal contraception | PNASMonoclonal antibody IE-3 prevents mouse fertilization by binding ZP2, a major component of the oocyte-specific zona pellucida (ZP). We show that an...

Fresh off the press in @pnas.org: functional and structural studies of the interaction between #fertilization-blocking mAb IE-3 and mammalian #egg coat protein #ZP2 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Thanks to @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @embo.org @kawresearch.bsky.social @dfg.de

Here we show that a ScFV fragment of IE-3 is sufficient to block #fertilization in vitro, avoiding potential Fc-associated side effects

Together with the first structural information on a monoclonal antibody bound to a key female #fertilization protein, this paves the way to the development of targeted non-hormonal #contraceptives #StructuralBiology #ReproductiveBiology #AntibodyEngineering #NonHormonalContraception

7 Mar 2025

Just in time for 8 March, we are thrilled to open the way to targeted non-hormonal contraception with the first structure of a fertilization-blocking antibody bound to a key female reproductive protein, #ZP2: Structural basis of ZP2-targeted immunocontraception www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

7 Mar 2025

And for the other half of the world, have a look at this study by Lu/Ikawa/Tang! Allosteric inhibition of the IZUMO1–JUNO fertilization complex by the naturally occurring antisperm antibody OBF13 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

nature.comThrombin cleaves membrane-bound endoglin potentially contributing to the heterogeneity of circulating endoglin in preeclampsia - Communications BiologyThrombin cleaves membrane-bound endoglin and soluble endoglin, releasing fragments of varying sizes; these findings emphasize the heterogeneity of sEng in preeclampsia, connecting endothelial dysfunct...

27 Feb 2025

Happy to have played a small part in this nice story on our old friend #endoglin ! Thrombin cleaves membrane-bound endoglin potentially contributing to the heterogeneity of circulating endoglin in preeclampsia www.nature.com/articles/s42... #ENG #preeclampsia #HHT

5 Feb 2025

...they were indeed! 😊

MiTeGen@mitegen.com

Paper at Cell - ZP2 cleavage blocks polyspermy by modulating the architecture of the egg coat - zurl.co/xw7a - Our MiTeGen Loops zurl.co/Q3vm were used to help determine details of IVF-related mechanisms