two glycoprotein sperm-specific antigens of testicular origin and twelve seminal plasma antigens which coated the spermatozoa during passage through the reproductive tract. Two of the sperm-coating antigens originated in the testis, two in the epididymis and eight above the level of the vas deferens. Relationships between sperm-coating antigens and capacitation, and sperm-coating antigens and p...

The relationship between the sperm-coating antigens of rabbit seminal plasma and the phenomenon of decapacitation was studied using agar-gel diffusion, immuno-electrophoresis, chromatography on Sephadex G-200, and polyacrylamide vertical gel electrophoresis. Interpretation of data obtained with these techniques led to the conclusion that a sperm-coating antigen of seminal plasma origin possesse...

two experiments were designed to examine the effects of crude seminal plasma (csp) exposure ofejaculated and epididymal spermatozoa before freezing. experiment 1, two consecutive ejaculates werecollected (n=4) within 5 min, the second one was carried out in a tube containing fiser extender (coatedspermatozoa); by centrifugation, seminal plasma was removed from coated ejaculates. the pellets wer...

BACKGROUND Sperm coating protein beta-defensin 126 (DEFB126) is adsorbed onto the entire surface of macaque sperm in the caudal epididymis and is retained on viable sperm collected from the cervix and the uterine lumen of mated female macaques. We investigated the role of sperm coating protein DEFB126 in cervical mucus penetration (CMP). METHODS Cervical mucus (CM) was collected from peri-ovu...

Sperm membranes have an unusual lipidic composition which is distinct from those of mammalian somatic cells. They have high levels of plasmalogens, a kind of ether-linked lipids, and a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acyl groups. Plasmalogens may form non-diffusible membrane regions or domains, whereas polyunsaturated ethanolamine plasmalogens are known to destabilize the lipidic bilayer....

Female sexual promiscuity can have significant effects on male mating decisions because it increases the intensity of competition between ejaculates for fertilization. Because sperm production is costly, males that can detect multiple matings by females and allocate sperm strategically will have an obvious fitness advantage. The presence of rival males is widely recognized as a cue used by male...

ZP3, a major component of the zona pellucida (ZP) matrix coating mammalian eggs, is essential for fertilization by acting as sperm receptor. By retaining a propeptide that contains a polymerization-blocking external hydrophobic patch (EHP), we determined the crystal structure of an avian homolog of ZP3 at 2.0 Å resolution. The structure unveils the fold of a complete ZP domain module in a homod...

The surface of mammalian spermatozoa is covered by a dense coating of carbohydrate-rich molecules forming a 20-60 nm thick glycocalyx. The majority of sugar residues are attached to proteins which are either integrated within the sperm membrane, or are more or less loosely associated with it. It is estimated that there may be several hundred different glycoproteins comprising the glycocalyx, so...