Prevention of fertilization by exposure of hamster eggs to soluble acrosin
- 1 July 1977
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Bioscientifica in Reproduction
- Vol. 50 (2), 359-361
- https://doi.org/10.1530/jrf.0.0500359
Abstract
Incubation of hamster eggs with trypsin or chymotrypsin, but not with a series of glycosidases or lipases, prevents capacitated spermatozoa from binding to the zona pellucida so that fertilization is prevented (Hartmann & Gwatkin, 1971; Gwatkin, Williams & Andersen, 1973). Inactivation of the binding sites for spermatozoa on the zona pellucida by a trypsin-like protease released by discharge of cortical granules also appears to be responsible for the zona reaction which prevents polyspermy (Gwatkin, Williams, Hartmann & Kniazuk, 1973). Acrosin is also a trysin-like protease and it can be extracted from sperm acrosomes. We therefore investigated whether the fertilization of hamster eggs is blocked by incubation with soluble acrosin.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Acrosomal Proteinase Inhibitors in Rhesus Monkey (Macaca Mulatta) Oviduct FluidFertility and Sterility, 1974