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The Role of Carbohydrates in the Induction of the Acrosome Reaction in Mouse Spermatozoa¹

^a Center for Reproductive Biology Research and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2633

Capacitated acrosome-intact mouse spermatozoa bind to the egg's zona pellucida in a receptor-ligand-mediated manner. Mouse zona pellucida 3 (mZP3) is a glycoprotein that functions as a primary ligand and inducer of the acrosome reaction (AR). Multiple sugar residues on mZP3 are thought to be recognized by complementary sugar binding enzymes (glycosidases or glycosyltransferases) or sugar binding lectin-like proteins on the sperm surface. To elucidate the nature of the sugar residues involved in sperm-egg recognition, several neoglycoproteins (ngps) were tested for their ability to induce the AR. Ngps are synthetic glycoproteins with a known monosaccharide conjugated to BSA. Capacitated mouse spermatozoa were treated in the absence or presence of several concentrations of ngps. A significantly greater number of spermatozoa underwent the AR in the presence of mannose-BSA, N-acetylglucosamine-BSA, and N-acetylgalactosamine-BSA than in their absence. Glucose-BSA or galactose-BSA had no effect on the AR. Inclusion of millimolar concentrations of unconjugated sugars (mannose, N-acetylglucosamine, or N-acetylgalactosamine) neither induced the AR nor blocked induction of the AR by ngps. These results demonstrate that some sugar residues can induce the AR, but only when conjugated to a protein backbone. Glucosaminyl-BSA (but not mannosyl-BSA or galactosaminyl-BSA) was a substrate for sperm-surface galactosyltransferase (GT), an enzyme thought to function as a receptor by binding to complementary glucosaminyl residues on mZP3. These data suggest a possible interaction between protein-conjugated glucosaminyl residues and sperm GT in the induction of the AR.

¹ Supported in part by grants HD 25869 and HD 34041 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. C.R.L. is a recipient of a fellowship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany.

² Correspondence. FAX: 615 343 7797.

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