title: Four glycoproteins are expressed in the cat zona pellucida.
abstract: The mammalian oocyte is surrounded by a matrix called the zona pellucida (ZP). This envelope participates in processes such as acrosome reaction induction, sperm binding and may be involved in speciation. In cat (Felis catus), this matrix is composed of at least three glycoproteins called ZP2, ZP3, and ZP4. However, recent studies have pointed to the presence of a fourth protein in several mammals (rat, human, hamster or rabbit), meaning that a reevaluation of cat ZP is needed. For this reason, the objective of this research was to analyze the protein composition of cat ZP by means of proteomic analysis. Using ZP from ovaries and oocytes, several peptides corresponding to four proteins were detected, yielding a coverage of 33.17%, 71.50%, 50.23%, and 49.64% for ZP1, ZP2, ZP3, and ZP4, respectively. Moreover, the expression of four genes was confirmed by molecular analysis. Using total RNA isolated from cat ovaries, the complementary deoxyribonucleic acids encoding cat ZP were partially amplified by reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, ZP1 was totally amplified for the first time in this species. As far as we are aware, this is the first study that confirms the presence of four proteins in cat ZP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia, Spain; Department of Biology, National University of Misiones (UNaM) of Posadas Misiones, Argentina.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stetson
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Avilés
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moros
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: García-Vázquez
authors.affiliation: Immunology Section, HCUVA-IMIB, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gimeno
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Section, SAI, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torrecillas
authors.affiliation: Vetpinos S.L.P., Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aliaga
authors.affiliation: Immunology Section, HCUVA-IMIB, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Bernardo-Pisa
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ballesta
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: mjoseir@um.es.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Izquierdo-Rico
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000235:genetics*; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D040901:Proteomics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072216:Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins
chemical_list: D004527:Egg Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C000606514:ZP1 protein, human; C000606515:ZP2 protein, human; C000606517:ZP3 protein, human; D000072216:Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins; C000606522:Zp4 protein, rat
keywords: Cat; Fertilization; Oocyte; Zona pellucida