Identification of Sperm-Binding Sites in the N-Terminal Domain of Bovine Egg Coat Glycoprotein ZP4.

ABSTRACT: The species-selective interaction between sperm and egg at the beginning of mammalian fertilisation is partly mediated by a transparent envelope called the zona pellucida (ZP). The ZP is composed of three or four glycoproteins (ZP1-ZP4). The functions of the three proteins present in mice (ZP1-ZP3) have been extensively studied. However, the biological role of ZP4, which was found in all other mammals studied so far, has remained largely unknown. Previously, by developing a solid support assay system, we showed that ZP4 exhibits sperm-binding activity in bovines and the N-terminal domain of bovine ZP4 (bZP4 ZP-N1 domain) is a sperm-binding region. Here, we show that bovine sperm bind to the bZP4 ZP-N1 domain in a species-selective manner and that N-glycosylation is not required for sperm-b

SUBMITTER: Dilimulati K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8775842 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature