Sperm-egg interaction: evidence for boar sperm plasma membrane receptors for porcine zona pellucida

Abstract

Freshly ejaculated, noncapacitated boar sperm bind rapidly and in large numbers to pig egg zona pellucida in vitro. In the present study, the number of sperm bound decreased sharply when sperm motility was lowered by energy poisons or by reducing the temperature. Highly motile sperm from humans, guinea pigs, and rats, added at concentrations ten times higher than control sperm, did not bind to the porcine zona. At the same high concentration, a small number of hamster and bull sperm bound to the zona. Binding of boar sperm to the zona pellucida was blocked almost completely by diluted whole antiserum to sperm plasma membranes and by univalent (Fab) antibody to these membranes. When antibody to sperm plasma membrane was first absorbed with plasma membrane vesicles, sperm binding was not inhibited. These results provide direct evidence for the existence of sperm plasma membrane receptors for the zona pellucida of the pig.