title: A potential fusion peptide and an integrin ligand domain in a protein active in sperm-egg fusion.
abstract: The union of sperm and egg is a special membrane fusion event that gives a signal to begin development. We have hypothesized that proteins mediating cell-cell fusion events resemble viral fusion proteins and have shown that PH-30, a sperm surface protein involved in sperm-egg fusion, shares biochemical characteristics with viral fusion proteins. We report here the complementary DNA and deduced amino-acid sequences of the mature alpha and beta subunits of PH-30. Both are type-I integral membrane glycoproteins. The alpha subunit contains a putative fusion peptide typical of viral fusion proteins and the beta subunit contains a domain related to a family of soluble integrin ligands found in snake venoms. Thus, the PH-30 alpha/beta complex resembles many viral fusion proteins in both its membrane topology and its predicted binding and fusion functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Blobel
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Wolfsberg
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Turck
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Myles
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Primakoff
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D051722:ADAM Proteins; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D000072196:Fertilins; D006031:Glycosylation; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D016023:Integrins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012910:Snake Venoms / Q000737:chemistry; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D016023:Integrins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012910:Snake Venoms; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins; D004247:DNA; D051722:ADAM Proteins; D000072196:Fertilins; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases