Immunology: Identification of human sperm surface glycoproteins by sperm membrane-specific autoantibodies

Almost 50% of infertility cases are associated with human male infertility. The sperm membrane is a key structure influencing sperm morphology and function in normal and pathological conditions. The fatty acid profile determines the performance not only of sperm motility but also of acrosomal reaction and sperm-oocyte fusion. This review presents available knowledge on the role of fatty acid composition in human sperm and spermatogenesis and discusses the influence of dietary fatty acids on the sperm fatty acid profile. Recent studies in biological sciences and clinical researches in this field are also reported. The topic object of this review has potential application in medicine by identifying potential causes of infertility.

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Human zona pellucida recognition associated with removal of sialic acid from human sperm surface

International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics ◽

10.1016/0020-7292(95)90987-y ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 228-228

Keyword(s):

Sialic Acid ◽

Zona Pellucida ◽

Human Sperm ◽

Sperm Surface

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The Effect of Kallikrein on Human Sperm Membrane Function.

The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1620/tjem.164.23 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 164 (1) ◽

pp. 23-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

NIKOLAOS SOFIKITIS ◽

IKUO MIYAGAWA ◽

TOSHIKO TODA ◽

TASUKU HARADA ◽

YASUYUKI MIO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Sperm ◽

Membrane Function ◽

Sperm Membrane

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Screening of an Antigen Target for Immunocontraceptives from Cross-Reactive Antigens between Human Sperm and Ureaplasma urealyticum

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.01171-06 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 75 (4) ◽

pp. 2004-2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Jianli Shi ◽

Zhengmin Yang ◽

Min Wang ◽

Guoyan Cheng ◽

Ding Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Synthetic Peptide ◽

Ureaplasma Urealyticum ◽

Human Sperm ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Antisperm Antibodies ◽

Protein Database ◽

Nuclear Autoantigenic Sperm Protein ◽

Sperm Membrane ◽

The Cross

ABSTRACT Epidemiologic studies indicated that some infertile men who were infected with Ureaplasma urealyticum displayed positive antisperm antibodies in their serum and/or semen. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible mechanism of antisperm antibodies production after infection with U. urealyticum and to analyze the relationship between U. urealyticum and infertility. The existence of cross-reactive antigens (61, 50, and 25 kDa) between U. urealyticum and human sperm membrane proteins was confirmed. Among the cross-reactive antigens, the urease complex component UreG of U. urealyticum was determined. By searching the Swiss-Prot protein database, a pentapeptide identity (IERLT) between UreG and human nuclear autoantigenic sperm protein (NASP) was found. Furthermore, using Western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the cross-reaction between the NASP and UreG was verified. Both anti-rUreG antibody and the antiserum against the synthetic peptide NASP393-408 containing the pentapeptide inhibited mouse sperm egg binding and fusion. After immunization by rUreG or the synthetic peptide, 81.2 and 75% female mice became sterile, respectively. The effect on fertility in mice immunized with the synthetic peptide was reversible. These findings proved for the first time that it was feasible to screen antigens for immunocontraceptives from cross-reactive antigens between sperm and microorganisms which induce infertility.

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