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A Monoclonal Antibody That Recognizes Mammalian Cortical Granules and a32-Kilodalton Protein in Mouse Eggs¹

^a Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 ^b Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 ^c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New England Medical Center Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02111

ABSTRACT

The fertilization-induced exocytosis of egg cortical granules (CGs) is responsible for a block to polyspermy, crucial to the viability of many species. The contents of mammalian CGs have been an elusive target for analysis because of picogram quantities of CG proteins. By using media enriched in secreted CG contents from calcium ionophore-induced eggs as an immunogen, a monoclonal antibody was raised that immunolocalized to structures in the mouse egg cortex with all the hallmarks of CGs. These structures were the correct size, absent from the region over the metaphase II spindle, and greatly reduced after fertilization. Double-labeling experiments confirmed that the antibody recognized the same population of CGs as those recognized by Lens culinaris agglutinin. On Western blots, the antibody primarily recognized a 32-kDa protein (and secondarily one at ~25 kDa) in mouse eggs. Analysis of biotin-labeled secreted proteins from activated eggs confirmed that CGs release only a small number of major proteins (45, 34, 32, 28, and ~20 kDa by SDS-PAGE). We therefore propose that the 32-kDa protein identified by this antibody is likely to correspond to the 32-kDa protein released from activated eggs and that it may be involved in the block to polyspermy. These methods should make it possible to generate additional antibodies to study the structure of CG components as well as their roles in the polyspermy block and CG biogenesis.

FOOTNOTES

First decision: 11 October 1999.

¹ Supported by NICHD grant HD24191 to T.D., by NIH grant HD28152 and a Research Career Development Award HD01170 to G.W., and by NIH grants HD 32177 and GM 56479 to H.F.

² Correspondence: Tom Ducibella, Department of OB/GYN, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111. FAX: 617 636 2917; tducibel{at}opal.tufts.edu

³ Current address: Harvey Florman, Department of Cell Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655.

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