Vaccine for human contraception targeting sperm Izumo protein and YLP12 dodecamer peptide.

ABSTRACT: There is an urgent need to develop a better method of contraception which is non-steroidal and reversible to control world population explosion and unintended pregnancies. Contraceptive vaccines (CV), especially targeting sperm-specific proteins, can provide an ideal contraceptive modality. Sperm-specific proteins can induce an immune response in women as well as men, thus can be used for CV development in both sexes. In this article, we will review two sperm-specific proteins, namely Izumo protein and YLP12 dodecamer peptide. Gene-knockout studies indicate that Izumo protein is essential for sperm-egg membrane fusion. Vaccination with Izumo protein or its cDNA causes a significant reduction in fertility of female mice. The antibodies to human Izumo inhibit human sperm penetration assay. R

SUBMITTER: Naz RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4088970 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature