ZONA PELLUCIDA BINDING PROTEINS IN SPERM-EGG INTERACTIONS

项目3：精子卵相互作用中的透明带结合蛋白 繁殖是一个复杂和多因素的过程，数百个哺乳动物基因已经 被识别为在繁殖中起作用的。精子与卵丘卵带的结合 透明质膜和最终的卵质膜是未来配子融合的必要步骤 基因组和合子组织的启动。不出所料，精子和卵子蛋白 在精子和卵子最初和随后的相互作用中发挥积极作用。许多起作用的蛋白质 精子与透明带结合直到精子DNA进入卵子的关键或辅助作用 细胞质很大程度上是未知的。我们的假设是两个透明带结合蛋白是 哺乳动物精子在受精过程中的一个或多个步骤中的关键蛋白质。具体目标是：1) ZPBP1：ZPBP2结合及体外精子-卵子相互作用的研究2)缺乏小鼠的建立和分析 ZPBP1、ZPBP2或两者兼而有之；以及3)确定精子与卵子结合有缺陷的男性是否有 ZPBP1或ZPBP2基因突变或其他候选基因。这些研究将对以下方面具有重要意义 了解精子中的关键蛋白质和机制：卵子在体内的相互作用，将有助于 定义与人类男性不育有关的基本蛋白质。

Project #3: Zona Pellucida Binding Proteins In Sperm Egg Interactions Reproduction is a complex and multifactorial process, and hundreds of mammalian genes have already been identified to function in reproduction. The binding of spermatozoa to the cumulus oophorus, the egg zona pellucida, and eventually the egg plasma membrane are essential steps for the future fusion of gamete genomes and the initiation of the zygote organization. As might be expected, both sperm and egg proteins play active roles in the initial and subsequent interactions of sperm and eggs. Many of the proteins that play key or supporting roles from binding of sperm to the zona pellucida until entry of the sperm DNA into the egg cytoplasm are largely unknown. Our overlying hypothesis is that the two zona pellucida binding proteins are critical mammalian sperm proteins in one or more of these steps in fertilization. The Specific Aims are: 1) Study ZPBP1:ZPBP2 binding and sperm-egg interactions in vitro; 2) Generate and analyze mice lacking ZPBP1, ZPBP2, or both; and 3) Determine whether men with defective binding of their sperm to eggs have mutations in ZPBP1 or ZPBP2 genes or additional candidate genes. These studies will be important for understanding the key proteins and mechanisms involved in sperm:egg interactions in vivo and will help to define essential proteins implicated in human male infertility.