Progesterone action on the human sperm surface is potentiated by an egg-associated acrosin activator.
The progesterone-induced Ca2+ influx and acrosomal exocytosis in human sperm are recently described examples of non-genomic steroid action on the cell surface. These progesterone effects are known to be inhibited by synthetic protease inhibitors. In this study we tested a hypothesis that a physiological activator of the sperm protease acrosin modulates the sperm response to progesterone. It was found that the activator augments the amplitude of the progesterone-induced Ca2+ transient and accelerates the progesterone-induced acrosomal exocytosis. These observations suggest a physiological significance of the modulation of nongenomic steroid effects by protease regulators.
Mendoza
C
C
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Granada Faculty of Sciences, Spain.
Moos
J
J
Tesarik
J
J
D000176:Acrosin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000177:Acrosome / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005089:Exocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010063:Ovum / Q000737:chemistry*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
D011509:Proteoglycans; D000001:Calcimycin; D011374:Progesterone; D000176:Acrosin; D002118:Calcium