Worm sperm stimulate ovulation
A protein that nematode sperm cells use for getting around also stimulates egg
maturation and ovulation in the worms, according to a report in March 16 Science.
Triggering ovulation with major sperm protein, or MSP, ensures that eggs aren’t
released at a time when there’s no sperm around to fertilize them, explains
coauthor David Greenstein of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in
Nashville. “This is a mechanism to sense the availability of sperm,” he says.