Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1993 Jul 23;261(5120):484-6.
doi: 10.1126/science.8392753.

A putative ATP-activated Na+ channel involved in sperm-induced fertilization

Y Kupitz  1 , D Atlas
Affiliations

A putative ATP-activated Na+ channel involved in sperm-induced fertilization

Y Kupitz et al. Science. .

Abstract

Extracellular application of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to defolliculated Xenopus laevis oocytes activated a saturating inward current with a maximal amplitude E(max) of 2.4 +/- 0.2 microamperes and an apparent Michaelis constant of 197.6 micromolar. The current was carried predominantly by sodium ions and potently inhibited by amiloride, guanosine triphosphate (GTP), and its nonhydrolyzable analogs guanosine 5'-[beta,gamma-imido]triphosphate (GppNHp) and guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). Likewise, in vitro fertilization using mature eggs and Xenopus sperm was inhibited by amiloride, GTP, and GppNHp. Hence, an ATP receptor on the egg membrane may be the recipient target for ATP originating in sperm, suggesting that an ATP-induced increase in sodium permeability mediates the initial sperm to egg signal in the fertilization process.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Fertilization and ion channels.
    Nuccitelli R, Ferguson JE. Nuccitelli R, et al. Science. 1994 Feb 18;263(5149):988. doi: 10.1126/science.8310299. Science. 1994. PMID: 8310299 No abstract available.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources