Egg CD9 protein tides correlated with sperm oscillations tune the gamete fusion ability in mammal

J Mol Cell Biol. 2018 Dec 1;10(6):494-502. doi: 10.1093/jmcb/mjy005.

Abstract

Mammalian fertilization involves membrane events-adhesion, fusion, sperm engulfment, membrane block to polyspermy-whose causes remain largely unknown. Recently, specific oscillations of the sperm in contact with the egg were shown to be necessary for fusion. Using a microfluidic chip to impose the venue for the encounter of two gametes allowed real-time observation of the membrane remodelling occurring at the sperm/egg interface. The spatiotemporal mapping of egg CD9 revealed that this protein concentrates at the egg/sperm interface as a result of sperm oscillations, until a CD9-rich platform is nucleated on which fusion immediately takes place. Within 2-5 min after fusion, most of the CD9 leaves the egg for the external aqueous medium. Then an egg membrane wave engulfs the sperm head in ~25 min. These results show that sperm oscillations initiate the CD9 recruitment that causes gamete fusion after which CD9 and associated proteins leave the membrane in a process likely to contribute to block polyspermy. They highlight that the gamete fusion story in mammals is an unexpected interplay between mechanical constraints and proteins.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Female
  • Fertilization*
  • Male
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Ovum / cytology
  • Ovum / metabolism*
  • Sperm-Ovum Interactions
  • Spermatozoa / cytology
  • Spermatozoa / metabolism*
  • Tetraspanin 29 / analysis
  • Tetraspanin 29 / metabolism*

Substances

  • Cd9 protein, mouse
  • Tetraspanin 29