Reduced fertility of female mice lacking CD81.
In somatic cells, the tetraspanins CD81 and CD9 associate with each other, with additional tetraspanins and with non-tetraspanin molecules to form proteolipidic complexes. Here we show that CD81 is expressed on the surface of oocytes where it associates with tetraspanin-enriched membrane structures. A major CD9 and CD81 partner, CD9P-1, is also expressed by oocytes. Deletion of CD81 gene in mice results in a 40% reduction of female fertility. In vitro insemination indicated that this infertility is due to a deficiency of oocytes to fuse with sperm. While the fertility of CD9-/- mice is severely but not completely impaired, double knock-out CD9-/- CD81-/- mice were completely infertile indicating that CD9 and CD81 play complementary roles in sperm-egg fusion. Finally, a fraction of CD9 was transferred from CD81-/- oocytes to sperm present in the perivitelline space indicating that the defect of fusion of CD81-/- oocytes does not result from an impaired initial gamete interaction.
Rubinstein
Eric
E
Inserm U602, Villejuif, France. erubin@vjf.inserm.fr
Ziyyat
Ahmed
A
Prenant
Michel
M
Wrobel
Edyta
E
Wolf
Jean-Philippe
JP
Levy
Shoshana
S
Le Naour
François
F
Boucheix
Claude
C
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000378:metabolism; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D017353:Gene Deletion; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D013075:Sperm Capacitation; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism; D060225:Tetraspanin 28; D060245:Tetraspanin 29
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD; C554798:CD81 protein, human; C554869:CD9 protein, human; C554799:Cd81 protein, mouse; C554870:Cd9 protein, mouse; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C486331:PTGFRN protein, human; D060225:Tetraspanin 28; D060245:Tetraspanin 29