Glycoconjugates in sperm function and gamete interactions: how much sugar does it take to sweet-talk the egg?
Glycoconjugates in the mammalian reproductive tract are critical components of the molecular mechanisms that control sperm maturation, sperm transport and gamete interactions. In the oviduct of many species, sperm transport and maturation are regulated by protein-carbohydrate interactions that form a sperm reservoir. Subsequently, gamete interactions are mediated by the binding of lectin-like sperm proteins with carbohydrate moieties on the zona pellucida. The sperm glycocalyx is extensively modified during sperm transport and maturation. Multiple functions have been proposed for this dense carbohydrate layer overlying the sperm plasmalemma, and sperm-surface carbohydrates have been implicated in immune-mediated human infertility. The structure and function of glycoconjugates in the oviductal sperm reservoir, the zona pellucida, and on the sperm surface are reviewed.
Diekman
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Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St., # 516, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, USA. diekmanalan@uams.edu
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000074301:CD52 Antigen; D005260:Female; D019276:Glycocalyx / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006001:Glycoconjugates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D010057:Oviducts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism*; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
D015703:Antigens, CD; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000074301:CD52 Antigen; C000613862:CD52 protein, human; D006001:Glycoconjugates; D006023:Glycoproteins