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B T Storey

Publications and source records attributed to B T Storey.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Centrifugation of human spermatozoa induces sublethal damage; separation of human spermatozoa from seminal plasma by a dextran swim-up procedure without centrifugation extends their motile lifetime.

While washing of human sperm cells by centrifugation and resuspension is a procedure in widespread use, there have been indications that this procedure per se may be harmful to the cells. The objective of this study was to investigate this question. To this end, a method for the clean separation of motile human spermatozoa from seminal plasma in the absence of centrifugation was developed, using a modified swim-up procedure, in which liquefied semen was mixed with an equal volume of 30 mg/ml dextran in medium, and the mixture overlaid with medium containing 5 mg/ml bovine serum albumin, forming two discreet layers with stable interface. The percentage of motile cells in a given sample was consistently > 80% immediately after recovery. Damage to the cells was assessed by loss of motile cells during incubation up to 96 h post-recovery. Comparison of aliquots of spermatozoa obtained by the dextran swim-up procedure showed that the aliquot subjected to centrifugation had 4 +/- 3% motile cells after 48 h, while the untreated aliquot had 52 +/- 12%. The aliquots showed no difference 1 h post-recovery. Similar results were obtained with spermatozoa that had been centrifuged in seminal plasma and resuspended in fresh plasma, then recovered by dextran swim-up. The delayed onset of motility loss in the centrifuged samples implies that this treatment induces sublethal damage in the cells. Comparison of the standard swim-up and Percoll gradient methods for sperm recovery, both of which involve centrifugation steps, showed decline in motility of the samples similar to that seen with dextran swim-up of centrifuged cells. We conclude that centrifugation per se induces sublethal damage in human spermatozoa, independently of treatment method, and suggest that recovery methods for human spermatozoa which avoid centrifugation might partially alleviate the damage incurred by these cells during cryopreservation.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Activation of a Gi protein in mouse sperm membranes by solubilized proteins of the zona pellucida, the egg's extracellular matrix.

Zona pellucida (ZP)-induced acrosomal exocytosis in mammalian spermatozoa is thought to be mediated by signal transduction cascades similar to those found in hormonally responsive cells. In order to characterize this process further, we have examined the role of GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) in coupling sperm-ZP interaction to intracellular second messenger systems in mouse sperm. An in vitro signal transduction assay was developed to assess ZP-G protein dynamics in sperm membrane preparations. Guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate (GTP gamma S), a poorly hydrolyzable analogue of GTP, bound to these membranes in a specific and concentration-dependent fashion which reached saturation at 100 nM. Incubation of the membrane preparations with heat-solubilized ZP resulted in a significant increase in specific GTP gamma S binding in a concentration-dependent fashion with a half-maximal response at 1.25-2 ZP/microliters. Solubilized ZP also caused a significant increase in high affinity GTPase activity in the membranes over basal levels. Mastoparan increased specific GTP gamma S binding to the sperm membranes and stimulated high-affinity membrane GTPase activity to levels consistently greater than that seen with the solubilized ZP. Mastoparan, together with solubilized ZP, gave the same level of stimulation of GTP gamma S binding as mastoparan alone. Pertussis toxin completely inhibited the ZP-stimulated GTP gamma S binding, but only decreased mastoparan-stimulated GTP gamma S binding by 70-80%. Purified ZP3, the ZP component which possesses quantitatively all of the acrosomal exocytosis-inducing activity of the intact ZP, stimulated GTP gamma S binding to the same level as solubilized ZP; ZP1 and ZP2 did not stimulate GTP gamma S binding. ZP from fertilized eggs (ZPf), which does not possess acrosome reaction-inducing activity, also failed to stimulate GTP gamma S binding to sperm membranes. These data demonstrate the direct activation of a Gi protein in sperm membrane preparations in response to the ZP glycoprotein, ZP3, that induces the acrosome reaction. These data imply that Gi protein activation is an early event in the signal sequence leading to sperm acrosomal exocytosis.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1992

A transient rise in intracellular Ca2+ is a precursor reaction to the zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction in mouse sperm and is blocked by the induced acrosome reaction inhibitor 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate.

The acrosome reaction induced by the zona pellucida in mouse sperm has been shown to proceed in two stages experimentally distinguishable by the fluorescent probe chlortetracycline. Entry into the first stage of sperm bound to isolated, structurally intact zonae pellucidae is blocked by the compound 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate. In this study, we show, utilizing the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fluo-3, that the first stage of the zona-induced acrosome reaction is characterized by an increase in intracellular Ca2+, followed by a decrease as the acrosome reaction proceeds. This calcium transient is completely suppressed by 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate. We conclude that the Ca2+ transient is induced by the zona pellucida and is required for the zona-induced acrosome reaction. Blockage of this sperm intracellular Ca2+ transient provides a mechanism for the inhibitory action of 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate on the zona-induced acrosome reaction in mouse sperm.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1991

Purification and preliminary characterization of guinea pig testicular proteinase inhibitors.

Three guinea pig testicular, low-molecular-weight, acid-stable inhibitors specific for trypsin-like proteinases were isolated, purified, and characterized. The procedure comprised acid extraction of testicular acetone powder, pH precipitation of the extract, gel filtration of the supernatant on Sephadex G-100 and G-50, ion-exchange chromatography on SP-Sephadex, followed by QAE-Sephadex. Final purification was by rechromatography on Sephadex G-50 superfine gel. The three proteinase inhibitors were labeled A, B, and Cnb, the latter to denote nonbinding of Cnb to the QAE-Sephadex. Components A and Cnb showed competitive, whereas B showed noncompetitive, inhibition against trypsin. All three inhibitors were active against trypsin but were ineffective against chymotrypsin. The inhibition constants, Ki, were obtained using trypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of the N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-arginyl amide of 7-amino-4-trifluoro-methylcoumarin (CBZ-Arg-AFC) at pH 8.0. The values were calculated to be, for A, 1.5 x 10(-8) M; for B, 1.5 x 10(-8) M; and, for Cnb, 2.2 x 10(-7) M. The Ki values calculated from inhibition of trypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of the active site titrant 4-methylumbelliferyl-p-guanidinobenzoate (MUGB) using Easson-Stedman plots were, for A, 7.7 x 10(-9) M; for B, 6.7 x 10(-9) M; and, for Cnb, 1.4 x 10(-7) M. The Mrs as determined by active site titration with MUGB were A, 11.2 kDa; B, 10.5 kDa; Cnb, 17.0 kDa. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gave Mr values for A of 11 kDa, for B of 4 kDa, and for Cnb of 19 kDa. The discrepancy in Mr values for B indicates that it may function as a dimer or trimer in the active state.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Zona pellucida-mediated acrosomal exocytosis in mouse spermatozoa: characterization of an intermediate stage prior to the completion of the acrosome reaction.

The zona pellucida (ZP)-induced acrosome reaction in mouse sperm proceeds in two steps, identified by three sperm fluorescence patterns observed sequentially with the fluorescent probe chlortetracycline. Capacitated, acrosome-intact sperm displaying a B pattern proceed to an intermediate S pattern, and then progress from the S pattern to the fully acrosome-reacted AR pattern. Previously, it was not feasible to characterize the nature of the transient intermediate S pattern. Recently, it was demonstrated that sperm bind to the ZP of eggs treated with 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and undergo a B to S transition, but do not complete the acrosome reaction. These cells accumulate in the S pattern and fail to undergo the S to AR transition (Endo, Y., Schultz, R. M., and Kopf, G. S. 1987a. Dev. Biol. 119, 119-209). The present study utilized ZP from TPA-treated eggs to assess the state of S pattern sperm. The kinetics of the B to S transition of sperm incubated with either structurally intact or solubilized ZP from untreated or TPA-treated eggs are identical. Addition of either solubilized ZP from untreated eggs or A-23187 to S pattern sperm bound to intact or solubilized ZP from TPA-treated eggs induces the S to AR transition, while ZP from TPA-treated or fertilized eggs does not. Loss of the transmembrane pH gradient in the anterior portion of the sperm head, monitored by the fluorescent pH probe 9-N-dodecyl aminoacridine, follows the B to S transition in sperm incubated with ZP from unfertilized eggs, but no loss is observed when the B to S transition is induced using ZP from TPA-treated eggs. Subsequent addition of solubilized ZP from untreated eggs or A-23187 results in the loss of the transmembrane pH gradient of these S pattern sperm. Addition of nigericin to S pattern sperm bound to ZP from TPA-treated eggs discharges the transmembrane pH gradient and causes the S to AR transition. In contrast, nigericin added to B pattern sperm discharges the pH gradient but does not induce a B to S transition. Electron microscopic evaluation of S pattern-arrested sperm using ZP from TPA-treated eggs reveals intact plasma and outer acrosomal membranes. These results suggest that ZP from TPA-treated and fertilized eggs are modified such that the ZP ligands inducing the S to AR transition are lost or are inactivated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acrosome↗
PubMed1990

Further characterization of the mouse sperm surface zona-binding site with galactosyltransferase activity.

One of the mouse sperm surface binding sites for zona pellucida ligands exhibits galactosyltransferase (GT) enzyme activity. The present study was undertaken to ascertain whether the GT site behaves as a noncatalytic binding site in its physiological capacity, with no glycosylation of zona ligands, or whether glycosylation of zona ligands is an integral part of sperm-zona binding. The effects of Mn2+, the obligatory cation for GT catalysis, on enzyme activity and sperm-zona binding were examined. With uridine-5'-diphosphogalactose (UDPgal) as galactose donor, and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) as galactose acceptor, increasing concentrations of Mn2+ in the range of 0.1-10 mM increased GT enzyme activity, with half-maximal activation at 0.65 mM Mn2+ (Vmax = 20 pmol/hr/10(6) cells). In the presence of 0-2 mM Mn2+, sperm-zona binding was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner; 50% inhibition occurred at 1.25 mM Mn2+. At this concentration, GT enzyme activity was at 65% Vmax. To determine the specificity of the GT site for glycoprotein terminal carbohydrate residues, spermatozoa were incubated with, asialo-ovine submaxillary mucin (N-acetylgalactosamine residues), asialo-, -alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (beta 1-4 galactose residues) ovalbumin (Ov; GlcNAc residues), and asialo-agalacto-/alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AsAgAGP; GlcN-Ac residues). Only Ov and AsAgAGP acted as acceptors for galactose in the enzyme assay and inhibitors in the sperm-zona binding assay. The kinetics of the interaction of AsAgAGP with the GT site were determined: the Km was 3.6 mg/ml, with Vmax of 33 pmol/hr/10(6) cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Light microscopic localization of glycosyltransferase activities in cells and tissues.

We describe an assay for light microscopic visualization of specific glycosyltransferases on tissue sections or on cells. The assay uses a sequence of enzyme reactions that yields two moles of NADH for each mole of the uridine-5'-diphosphate (UDP) released during transfer of a monosaccharide from a UDP sugar to an acceptor. When diaphorase and tetrazolium salts are present in the incubation mixture, the tetrazolium salts are reduced to colored diformazans, which precipitate at the sites of glycosyltransferase activity. The validity of the assay was established by applying the technique to spermatozoa and liver, in which some glycosyltransferases have previously been localized. When suspensions of mouse spermatozoa were assayed for galactosyltransferase (GalTase) activity, diformazan precipitates appeared on the plasma membranes overlying the anterior heads of the spermatozoa, in agreement with immunochemical localizations. In mouse liver slices assayed with bilirubin as acceptor for glucuronyltransferase (GluTase) activity, dense diformazan deposits appeared on the hepatocytes but not on endothelial cells, also in agreement with immunochemical data. In the absence of acceptor or UDP sugar donor, diformazan deposits were minimal and random in all tissues tested. The assay's versatility was tested by incubating tissues with different sugar donors and acceptors to localize other sites of transferase activity. In mouse frozen liver sections, GalTase activity occurred in both hepatocytes and endothelial cells; in sections of rat submaxillary glands, GalTase activity was detected in mast cells. In liver sections, GlcuTase activity with o-aminophenol as acceptor was located primarily on the endothelial cells. With the appropriate sugar donor and acceptor, this assay should detect any transferase, other than the glucosyltransferases, that utilizes UDP sugars.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

High-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of seminolipid from bovine spermatozoa.

The high-resolution one- and two-dimensional proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) characterization of seminolipid from bovine spermatozoa is presented. The 1H-NMR data was confirmed by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis of the partially methylated alditol acetates of the sugar unit, mild alkaline methanolysis of the glyceryl ester, mobility on normal phase and diphasic thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). The structure of the molecule corresponds to 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-hexadecanoyl-3-O-beta-D-(3'-sulfo)-galactopyranosyl- sn-glycerol.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Role of glutathione peroxidase in protecting mammalian spermatozoa from loss of motility caused by spontaneous lipid peroxidation.

Mouse and human spermatozoa, but not rabbit spermatozoa, have long been known to be sensitive to loss of motility induced by exogenous H2O2. Recent work has shown that loss of sperm motility in these species correlates with the extent of spontaneous lipid peroxidation. In this study, the effect of H2O2 on this reaction in sperm of the three species was investigated. The rate of spontaneous lipid peroxidation in mouse and human sperm is markedly enhanced in the presence of 1-5 mM H2O2, while the rate in rabbit sperm is unaffected by H2O2. The enhancement of lipid peroxidation, the rate of reaction of H2O2 with the cells, the activity of sperm glutathione peroxidase, and the endogenous glutathione content are highest in mouse sperm, intermediate in human sperm, and very low in rabbit sperm. Inactivation of glutathione peroxidase occurs in the presence of H2O2 due to complete conversion of endogenous glutathione to GSSG: No GSH is available as electron donor substrate to the peroxidase. Inactivation of glutathione peroxidase by the inhibitor mercaptosuccinate has the same effect on rate of lipid peroxidation and loss of motility in mouse and human sperm as does H2O2. This implies that H2O2 by itself at 1-5 mM is not intrinsically toxic to the cells. With merceptosuccinate, the endogenous glutathione is present as GSH in mouse and human sperm, indicating that the redox state of intracellular glutathione by itself plays little role in protecting the cell against spontaneous lipid peroxidation. Mouse and human sperm also have high rates of superoxide production. We conclude that the key intermediate in spontaneous lipid peroxidation is lipid hydroperoxide generated by a chain reaction initiated by and utilizing superoxide. Removal of this hydroperoxide by glutathione peroxidase protects these sperm against peroxidation; inactivation of the peroxidase allows lipid hydroperoxide to increase and so increases the peroxidation rate. Rabbit sperm have low rates of superoxide reaction due to high activity of their superoxide dismutase; lack of endogenous glutathione and low peroxidase activity does not affect their rate of lipid peroxidation. As a result, these sperm are not affected by either H2O2 or mercaptosuccinate. These results lead us to postulate a mechanism for spontaneous lipid peroxidation in mammalian sperm which involves reaction of lipid hydroperoxide and O2 as the rate-determining step.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Endpoint of first stage of zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction in mouse spermatozoa characterized by acrosomal H+ and Ca2+ permeability: population and single cell kinetics.

The acrosome reaction induced by the mouse egg's zona pellucida in mouse sperm has been shown to proceed in two stages as characterized empirically by sequential changes in patterns of chlortetracycline fluorescence on the sperm plasma membrane surfaces. The chlortetracycline fluorescence pattern characteristic of fully intact sperm is designated B; in sperm bound to structurally intact zonae that induce the acrosome reaction, the B pattern changes first to an intermediate pattern S and then to a terminal pattern AR characteristic of the completed acrosome reaction. In the same study, it was shown, using a 9-amino acridine fluorescent pH probe, that completion of the first stage was characterized by increase in H+ permeability such that the H+ gradient between sperm head and medium was dissipated. In this study, we show that the fluorescent pH probe 9-N-dodecylamino acridine and the intracellular Ca2+ fluorescent probe fura-2 are both localized to the anterior part of the sperm head encompassing the acrosomal compartment in intact sperm, and the fluorescence associated with each probe is lost as the first stage of the acrosome reaction is completed. Loss of the pH probe fluorescence, pattern N, corresponds to onset of H+ permeability, and loss of fura-2 fluorescence, pattern F, corresponds to onset of Ca2+ permeability. Localization of intracellular fura-2 fluorescence to the acrosomal compartment required extracellular Mn2+ to quench surface-bound fura-2 AM, the tetra-acetoxymethyl ester of fura-2 used to load the cells. Loss of acrosomal fura-2 fluorescence is due to quenching by tracer Mn2+ accompanying Ca2+. Onset of membrane permeability to both H+ and Ca2+, as seen by loss of patterns N and F, occurred in synchrony in populations of sperm bound to isolated, structurally intact zonae, with an overall time course of 210 min postbinding. The loss of pattern N in individual sperm cells bound to zonae was rapid, with a half time of 2.1 min. Concomitant with this rapid loss of pattern N was a shift in the amplitude of flagellar motion from large to small. The lag times to pattern N loss in 50 individual cells ranged from 30 to 140 min. The variable lag times determine the population kinetics; the rate of the endpoint reaction seen in the individual cells is rapid and constant. Dissipation of the H+ gradient with immediate loss of pattern N was readily achieved by addition of nigericin with no change in the time course of the onset of Ca2+ permeability of the membranes enclosing the acrosome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acrosome↗
PubMed1989

Carbonic anhydrase in guinea pig skeletal muscle mitochondria.

The presence of carbonic anhydrase activity was demonstrated in guinea pig skeletal muscle mitochondria purified by Percoll gradient centrifugation such that contamination by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was less than 5%. Assay of purified heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles for carbonic anhydrase activity showed these to have somewhat less activity than the mitochondria, so that any contribution by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles to mitochondrial activity would be negligible. In agreement with this observation, rabbit skeletal muscle mitochondria prepared by the Percoll method had no detectable activity. Assay of the guinea pig muscle mitochondrial enzyme activity in the presence of Triton X-100 showed a sixfold greater activity than in its absence, indicating a matrix location for the carbonic anhydrase. The enzyme is highly sensitive to the sulfonamide inhibitor ethoxzolamide, with Ki = 8.7 nM. The activation energy obtained from the rate constant for CO2 hydration, kenz with units (mg/ml)-1 s-1, over the range 4 to 37 degrees C was 12.8 kcal/mol. These properties are those expected for a carbonic anhydrase of the CA II class of isozymes, rather than for CA I, CA III, and the liver mitochondrial enzyme CA V.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Guinea pig testicular proacrosin-acrosin system: further characterization of the active enzyme.

In this paper, the characteristics of a highly stable, 34,000 molecular weight form of guinea pig (GP) acrosin are compared with those of acrosins from other mammalian species. GP acrosin, like acrosins from other species, is stable at pH 3.0, has a pH optimum of 8.0, and is inhibited by natural trypsin inhibitors and N-alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone. Its lack of inhibition by tosyl-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone indicates that it has a specificity similar to trypsin but not chymotrypsin. The activity of GP acrosin was stimulated by Ca2+ below 75 mM. The enzyme was markedly inhibited by Hg2+, but only weakly inhibited by other metal cations. The disulfide reductants dithiothreitol and 2-mercaptoethanol both inhibited GP acrosin, as did the sulfhydryl reactant, iodoacetic acid. The Michaelis-Menten constant for GP testicular acrosin-catalyzed hydrolysis of the N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-arginyl amide of 7-amino-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin at pH 8.0 was calculated from Lineweaver-Burk plots to give a value of Km = 2.0 x 10(-5) M with Vmax = 500 mumoles/min/mg protein. The corresponding lysine substrate, the N-benzyloxy-carbonyl L-lysine amide of 7-amino-4-trifluoromethyl-coumarin, had a higher Km = 4.6 x 10(-5) M and lower Vmax = 135 mumoles/min/mg protein, in accord with the substrate preference seen with other mammalian acrosins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acrosin↗
PubMed1988

Relationship between two types of mouse sperm surface sites that mediate binding of sperm to the zona pellucida.

There are at least two binding sites for the mouse egg zona pellucida on the surface of mouse sperm: a site with galactosyltransferase (GT) activity inhibitable by uridine-5'-diphosphate-dialdehyde (UDPd) and alpha-lactalbumin, and a trypsin inhibitor-sensitive (TI) site that hydrolyzes guanidinobenzoate (GB) esters. Characterization of GT activity gave the Km for UDP galactose as 37 microM with N-acetylglucosamine as galactose acceptor, and Vmax as 0.37 pmol/min/10(6) sperm. UDP galactose from 12.5-100 microM inhibited sperm binding to zona-intact eggs in a concentration-dependent manner with close correlation to GT activity (r = 0.95). To assess the independence and spatial relationship of the two types of site, cross-perturbation studies were performed. p-Nitrophenyl-GB, a low molecular mass inhibitor specific for the TI site, had no effect on the enzyme activity of the GT site. Conversely, UDPd, a specific inhibitor of GT, had no effect on GB hydrolysis. Weak inhibitions were found when soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) was included with the GT assay and when GB hydrolysis was assayed in the presence of alpha-lactalbumin or asialo-agalacto-(alpha 1-acid glycoprotein). Acid-solubilized zona protein (ASZP) weakly inhibited the GT reaction, while stronger inhibition was seen with chymotrypsin-solubilized zona protein (CSZP). ASZP inhibited sperm binding to zonae with the same concentration dependence associated with inhibition of GB hydrolysis, but the inhibition of GT enzyme activity was on the same order as that found with SBTI, indicating that ASZP was only binding to the TI site under enzyme assay conditions. The results support the hypothesis that the two types of site are independent in binding their specific zona ligands, but are close enough for steric perturbation of the enzyme activity of one site by macromolecules bound to the other. The different interactions of solubilized zona preparations with the GT site under enzyme assay conditions are an indication that conditions which favor the enzyme activity of the site may interfere with the physiological binding functions of the site.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Generation of allantoin from the oxidation of urate by cytochrome c and its possible role in Reye's syndrome.

Allantoin in the presence of calcium ions has been implicated as a potential toxic agent in Reye's syndrome. An investigation of possible alternative sources of allantoin in humans, which lack the enzyme uricase, has been initiated. Urate is a strong reducing agent which can reduce cytochrome c nonenzymatically, with the concomitant production of CO2 and H+. The stoichiometries measured for the various reactants and products were 1 urate:2 cytochrome c:1 H+:1 CO2. The initial reaction rate depended on the concentrations of both urate and cytochrome c, with reaction kinetics that were first order with respect to urate and second order with respect to cytochrome c. The participation of molecular oxygen in this reaction could not be detected. The pH and ionic strength optima for this reaction were determined to be 9.5-10.5 and 10(-5) M, respectively. Based on the results reported here, the following balanced equation can be written: urate-2 + 2 cytochrome c+3 + 2 H2O----allantoin + 2 cytochrome c+2 + H+ + HCO3-. We propose that allantoin can be generated from the oxidation of urate by cytochrome c+3, and that this is a potential source of allantoin in human tissues.

Allantoin↗
PubMed1987

Capacitation and acrosome reactions in human spermatozoa monitored by a chlortetracycline fluorescence assay.

Human spermatozoa were incubated in culture medium containing human serum albumin (HSA) to promote capacitation, which was monitored by a rapid chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence assay. Four CTC fluorescence patterns were readily distinguished, one of which appeared to be correlated with capacitated sperm. When capacitated sperm were treated with either ionophore A23187 or acid-solubilized mouse zonae pellucidae to induce the acrosome reaction, the CTC assay identified acrosome-reacted sperm by lack of fluorescence on the head. Fresh sperm would not undergo the induced acrosome reaction. The percentages of acrosome-reacted sperm identified by the CTC assay in induced and control populations were the same as those identified by the presently used indirect immunofluorescence and triple stain assays.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1987

Characterization of the mouse sperm plasma membrane zona-binding site sensitive to trypsin inhibitors.

The first contact of mammalian gametes is the binding of the spermatozoon to the zona pellucida of the egg. Previous work has shown that binding of the spermatozoon to the zona in the mouse occurs prior to the acrosome reaction and that trypsin inhibitors block this initial binding. This suggests that the sperm surface contains a trypsinlike binding site that functions by an active site mechanism to effect initial zona binding. When suspensions of twice-washed spermatozoa were incubated with the serine protease active site titrant, 4-methylumbelliferyl p-guanidinobenzoate (MUGB), the titrant was hydrolyzed at a rate of 8 pmoles/min-10(6) cells. MUGB was found to inhibit the binding of spermatozoa to the zona pellucida. The degree of inhibition and the rate of hydrolysis of MUGB by washed spermatozoa depend on the concentration of titrant, with half maximal effects at 13 microM and a linear correlation with r = 0.99. The analogous lysyl and arginyl trypsin substrates containing 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin as the fluorogenic leaving group were not hydrolyzed under the same conditions and did not inhibit zona binding. Both binding of sperm to zona-intact eggs and the hydrolysis of MUGB by sperm are inhibited by p-nitrophenyl guanidinobenzoate, soybean trypsin inhibitor, and acid-solubilized zonae. The linear correlation coefficients of the inhibition of sperm binding and MUGB hydrolysis by these three substances are greater than 0.92. This "trypsinlike" sperm site is essential for sperm binding to the zona: its stereospecificity is unique in that it reacts with trypsin inhibitors but not with trypsin substrates.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Effects of phorbol esters and a diacylglycerol on the mouse sperm acrosome reaction induced by the zona pellucida.

Capacitated mouse sperm undergo the spontaneous acrosome reaction in suspension and the zona-induced acrosome reaction when bound to isolated, intact zonae pellucidae. The zona-induced acrosome reaction in the mouse resembles, in part, ligand-receptor-mediated exocytotic processes that occur in some somatic cells. Since such processes have been shown to be mediated in part by protein kinase C-catalyzed protein phosphorylation, the effects of phorbol esters, which are potent activators of this kinase, on both the spontaneous and the zona-induced acrosome reaction were examined. At concentrations up to 10 microM, 12-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) had no effect on the time course of the spontaneous acrosome reaction as scored by the chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence assay. Capacitated, acrosome-intact sperm display Pattern B in the CTC assay with fluorescence on the anterior head; fully acrosome-reacted sperm display Pattern AR with no fluorescence on the head. The time course of the loss of Pattern B in the zona-induced acrosome reaction was markedly accelerated by 65 nM TPA as compared to controls, whereas the appearance of Pattern AR was retarded. The appearance of Pattern S, which is characterized by punctate fluorescence on the head and which marks an intermediate state between Pattern B and Pattern AR in the controls, was accelerated by 65 nM TPA to the same extent as the loss of Pattern B at early times post-binding to zonae. The disappearance of Pattern S at later times post-binding to zonae was retarded by 65 nM TPA to the same extent as the appearance of Pattern AR. The transitions between the fluorescence patterns, designated the B-to-S and the S-to-AR transitions, therefore define two stages of the zona-induced acrosome reaction, which are affected in opposite directions by TPA. The effects of 65 nM TPA are mimicked by 60 nM 4-beta-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (4-beta-PDD) while the 4-alpha isomer is without effect. Such stereospecificity is similar to that reported for the activation of protein kinase C. The diacylglycerol, 1-oleyl-2-acetylglycerol, which is also known to activate protein kinase C, mimicked the effects of TPA and 4-beta-PDD on the time courses of the B-to-S and S-to-AR transitions. These results suggest that protein kinase C may play an intermediary role in the zona-induced mouse sperm acrosome reaction.

Acrosome↗