On the interaction of bull and boar acrosins with the zona pellucida of different mammalian species in vitro.
Acrosin was prepared from boar and bull spermatozoa and its lytic effect in vitro on the zona pellucida of mouse, golden hamster, rabbit, pig and cow was investigated. Depending upon the species studied, ovarian oocytes, ovulated oocytes and preimplantation embryos were obtained for the experiments. While in golden hamster and rabbit the zona pellucida was removed by both acrosins, this effect was absent for bull acrosin in cow and mouse eggs and for boar acrosin in pig and mouse eggs. In those species in which the zona pellucida was not removed by the acrosins after an incubation period of 2 hours even a prolongation up to 24 hours with higher amounts of acrosin, the addition of acrosomal extracts to the incubation buffer (Tyrode solution pH 7.2) or an increase of the pH value up to 8.6 of the acrosin solution had no effect upon the zona pellucida. Our results indicate that at least in vitro, acrosin does not possess the capacity to lyse the zona pellucida in a species specific fashion. Since the lytic effect of boar and bull acrosin on the zona pellucida of ovarian oocytes and preimplantation embryos is not different from that on ovulated oocytes it can be assumed that neither the maturation of the zona pellucida during oogenesis nor its modification after fertilization, change the susceptibility of the zona pellucida to acrosin digestion.
D000176:Acrosin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism; D002417:Cattle; D006224:Cricetinae; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits; D013045:Species Specificity; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000378:metabolism*
D010450:Endopeptidases; D000176:Acrosin