title: Inhibition of sperm-egg fusion in the hamster and mouse by carbohydrates.
abstract: After spermatozoa bind to and penetrate the extracellular matrix of the egg, the zona pellucida, they adhere to and fuse with the plasma membrane of the egg. Since sperm-egg fusion may involve membrane glycoproteins and/or carbohydrate binding proteins, we sought to test this hypothesis by challenging sperm-egg fusion in hamster and in mouse with added carbohydrates. In this study, a number of carbohydrate and glycoconjugates were examined for their ability to inhibit sperm-egg fusion. In the hamster, D(+)-glucosamine, D(+)-galactosamine, albumin-bovine-glucosamide and -galactosamide, fucoidan and dextran sulphate inhibited the fusion of spermatozoa with zona-free eggs. The same effects were seen in the mouse, except for the toxic effects of D(+)-galactosamine. These facts suggest a role of carbohydrate binding proteins or glycoproteins in the fertilisation process at the level of binding to and fusing with the oolemma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology, University of Hawaii School of Medicine, Honolulu 96822, USA.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: U A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Urch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yanagimachi
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D016264:Dextran Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006001:Glycoconjugates / Q000494:pharmacology; D006027:Glycosides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D009005:Monosaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D006001:Glycoconjugates; D006027:Glycosides; D009005:Monosaccharides; D011134:Polysaccharides; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; C007789:fucoidan