Functional characterization and phenotyping of RAB2A and Lactadherin/MFGE8 as boar sperm zona pellucida binding proteins.

ABSTRACT: Mammalian fertilization begins with the species-specific binding of spermatozoa to the oocyte's zona pellucida (ZP), a process mediated by multiple surface proteins forming a functional receptor complex. Among them, the Ras oncogene family protein RAB2A and lactadherin/MFGE8 (p47/SED1) were previously identified as ZP-binding candidates in pig; however, their functional roles in sperm-oocyte interactions remained unconfirmed. This study aimed to evaluate their involvement in sperm-ZP binding by using antibody-blocking and competitive binding assays with porcine oocytes. In parallel, we validated the specificity and functional relevance of two in-house raised monoclonal antibodies, 5C5 and 1H9, targeting RAB2A and lactadherin/MFGE8, respectively, and further characterized these proteins in

SUBMITTER: Zelenkova N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12528150 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature