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Human Reproduction, Vol. 10, No. suppl_1, pp. 31-37, 1995
© 1995 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

New concepts in human sperm-zona pellucida interaction

Gary F. Clark1, Manish S. Patankar1, Klaus D. Hinsch3 and Sergio Oehninger2,4

1 Department of Biochemistry, The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School Norfolk, 601 Colley Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia, 23507, USA 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School Norfolk, 601 Colley Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia, 23507, USA 3 Center für Dermatologie und Andrologie, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany

Correspondence: 4To whom correspondence should be addressed

Binding of spermatozoa to the zona pellucida is an initial, crucial recognition event leading to fertilization. In the mouse, the best species characterized so far, the zona pellucida protein 3 (ZP3) has a central role as the specific, primary sperm receptor on the zona and as the inducer of the acrosome reaction. This sequence of events is not clearly understood as it relates to human gametes. The ideal test for the evaluation of sperm-zona pellucida interaction is one that can examine these events in a sequential fashion (i.e. binding followed by the acrosome reaction) in a standardized and specific bioassay. Here we have used the hemizona assay as an internally controlled test to examine human sperm-zona pellucida interaction. Results presented show that: (i) the hemizona assay has an excellent predictive power for IVF outcome and for the identification of male infertility; (ii) using a specific anti-ZP3 antiserum in immunocytochemical studies, the hemizona assay allows for the identification of structural/functional anomalies of the protein backbone of human ZP3 (identification of oocyte anomalies); and (iii) glycobiological studies using the hemizona assay model indicate that the initial spermzona pellucida binding requires a selectin-Iike interaction between the human gametes. These efforts may help us to characterize the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in human gametes and their dysfunctions in infertile patients.

Key words: hemizona assay/sperm binding/spermzona pellucida interaction


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