Molecular Basis of Human Sperm-Zona pellucida Interaction

2000 ◽  
Vol 168 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 58-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Oehninger
Reproduction ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Yauger ◽  
Nathan A Boggs ◽  
Jurrien Dean

The molecular basis of human fertilization remains enigmatic. Mouse models are often used to study sperm–egg recognition, but the mouse zona pellucida surrounding ovulated eggs contains three proteins (ZP1, ZP2, and ZP3) whereas the human zona contains four (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3, and ZP4). Human sperm are fastidious and recognize human but not mouse eggs. Transgenic mouse lines were established to ascertain whether human ZP4 is the sole determinant of human sperm binding. Human ZP4 expressed in transgenic mice had a molecular mass similar to the range of native protein isoforms and was incorporated into the extracellular zona matrix. Transgenic females were fertile with normal litter sizes. Mouse sperm readily recognized transgenic ovulated eggs, but human sperm did not. We conclude that human ZP4 is not sufficient to support human sperm binding to the zona pellucida in transgenic mice and that other zona proteins may be needed for human gamete recognition.


Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (13) ◽  
pp. 2415-2424 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.L. Rankin ◽  
Z.B. Tong ◽  
P.E. Castle ◽  
E. Lee ◽  
R. Gore-Langton ◽  
...  

The mammalian zona pellucida surrounding ovulated eggs mediates sperm binding at fertilization, provides a postfertilization block to polyspermy, and facilitates passage of pre-implantation embryos down the oviduct. Although the three zona proteins (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3) are well conserved, mammalian fertilization is relatively specific and human sperm do not bind to the mouse zona pellucida. There are considerable in vitro data that ZP3 acts as a primary sperm adhesion molecule in mice and, by analogy, a similar role has been postulated for human ZP3. Genetically altered mice lacking ZP3 (Zp3(tm/tm)) do not form a zona pellucida and are infertile. To rescue this phenotype, transgenic mice expressing human ZP3 (67% identical to mouse ZP3) were produced and bred with Zp3(tm/tm) null mice. The resultant human ZP3 rescue females had chimeric zonae pellucidae composed of mouse ZP1, mouse ZP2 and human ZP3. Human ZP3 expressed in mouse oocytes had an apparent mass (64 kDa) indistinguishable from native human ZP3 and distinct from mouse ZP3 (83 kDa). Despite the presence of human ZP3, human sperm did not bind to the chimeric zona pellucida, and notwithstanding the absence of mouse ZP3, mouse sperm bound to ovulated eggs in vitro and fertility was restored in vivo. These data have implications regarding the molecular basis of mouse and human sperm binding to their respective zonae pellucidae.


2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. N. Chiu ◽  
M.-K. Chung ◽  
R. Koistinen ◽  
H. Koistinen ◽  
M. Seppala ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 876-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayel Chirinos ◽  
Cecilia Cariño ◽  
María Elena González-González ◽  
Ernesto Arreola ◽  
Rodrigo Reveles ◽  
...  

Human Cell ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shota Hatakeyama ◽  
Yasuyuki Araki ◽  
Shirei Ohgi ◽  
Atsushi Yanaihara ◽  
Yasuhisa Araki

2014 ◽  
Vol 205 (6) ◽  
pp. 801-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo A. Avella ◽  
Boris Baibakov ◽  
Jurrien Dean

The extracellular zona pellucida surrounds ovulated eggs and mediates gamete recognition that is essential for mammalian fertilization. Zonae matrices contain three (mouse) or four (human) glycoproteins (ZP1–4), but which protein binds sperm remains controversial. A defining characteristic of an essential zona ligand is sterility after genetic ablation. We have established transgenic mice expressing human ZP4 that form zonae pellucidae in the absence of mouse or human ZP2. Neither mouse nor human sperm bound to these ovulated eggs, and these female mice were sterile after in vivo insemination or natural mating. The same phenotype was observed with truncated ZP2 that lacks a restricted domain within ZP251–149. Chimeric human/mouse ZP2 isoforms expressed in transgenic mice and recombinant peptide bead assays confirmed that this region accounts for the taxon specificity observed in human–mouse gamete recognition. These observations in transgenic mice document that the ZP251–149 sperm-binding domain is necessary for human and mouse gamete recognition and penetration through the zona pellucida.


Reproduction ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary F Clark

During murine fertilization, sperm bind to the specialized extracellular matrix of the egg, known as the zona pellucida (ZP). This matrix is composed of three major glycoproteins designated ZP1, ZP2, and ZP3. Three models for sperm–ZP binding are now under consideration. The domain-specific model posits that adhesion relies primarily on interactions between N-glycans located within the C-terminal domain of ZP3 and a lectin-like egg-binding protein in the sperm plasma membrane. However, this model does not explain recent results obtained in studies with ZP2mut mice. In the supramolecular structure model, sperm bind to a three-dimensional zona matrix that depends on the cleavage status of ZP2. This paradigm does not explain the potent inhibitory effect of specific carbohydrate sequences or a C-terminal glycopeptide (gp55) derived from ZP3. Recently, O-glycans linked at Thr155 and Thr162 of ZP3 were implicated as potential ligands that mediate initial sperm–ZP binding. This novel model will be reviewed. A major challenge is to develop an alternate model for sperm–ZP binding that fits as much of the data as possible. Such a model is presented in this review. This paradigm could explain how the inability to cleave ZP2mut in ZP2mut mice could result in continued sperm binding to two-cell stage embryos without the formation of a supramolecular binding complex. These novel insights should guide future experiments that will eventually determine the molecular basis underlying gamete binding in the mouse and other eutherian mammals.


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