| Project/Area Number |
09671723
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Obstetrics and gynecology
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| Research Institution | HYOGO COLLEGE OF MEDICINE |
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Principal Investigator |
KOMORI Shinji HYOGO COLLEGE OF MEDICINE,DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY,LECTURER, 医学部, 講師 (60195865)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1998
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 1998)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥1,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000)
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| Keywords | sperm-egg interaction / acrosome / human / membrane molecule / calcium channel / 精子失体膜分子 |
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| Research Abstract |
Several surface molecules of both gametes are involved in gametes recognition during fertilization( Saling, 1989 ). These molecules are responsible for each process of fertilization and species-specific interaction between the gametes. Studies of these molecules may be essential for understanding the mechanism of sperm-egg interaction and for the development of a contraceptive vaccine.
We isolated a human sperm antigen gene (h-Sp-l) by screening from human testis cDNA library with human sperm specific antisera. The sequence analysis of the h-Sp-l gene indicated that it contained 2170 bp and had 45% homology to human synaptophysin gene, which was considered to play a crucial role in calcium dependent signal transduction in synaptic vesicles in the terminal end of nerves. The analysis of the deduced amino acids from the h-Sp- 1 gene showed that it encoded 259 amino acids containing four hydrophilic regions and four hydrophobic regions. This indicated that the molecules encoded by the h-Sp- 1 gene might be a transmembrane protein with four membrane spanning regions like the synaptophysin. Northern blot analysis indicated that h-Sp-1 gene had 2 kind of transcripts ( 2.3 kb and 1.1kb ). 2.3kb transcript expressed ubiquitously whereas 1.1kb transcript expressed abundantly in human testis. In order to characterize the molecules encoded by the h-Sp-l gene, the antisera were generated by immunizing rabbits with synthetic polypeptides ( aminoacid No 174-198 ) based on the h-Sp-1 gene. Western blot analysis indicated that the antisera reacted a 40 kDa molecule. The antisera also stained fixed human sperm head by indirect immunofluorescence staining. The purified antisera showed the inhibitory effect on human sperm penetration assay into zona-free hamster eggs. However, they did not show any sperm immobilizing and agglutinating activities. These results suggested that the molecules encoded by the h-Sp-1 gene might play an important role in the sperm-egg interaction.
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