Biomaterial Database

Sperm disintegrins, egg integrins, and other cell adhesion molecules of mammalian gamete plasma membrane interactions. 1999

J P Evans

Division of Reproductive Biology, Department of Biochemistry, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. jpevans@jhsph.edu

The cell-cell interactions that occur between sperm and egg involve not only the binding but also the fusion of the gamete plasma membranes. Numerous studies, carried out decades ago and more recently, have implicated several different molecules on both the sperm and egg as being involved in gamete membrane interactions. The sperm proteins that have received the most attention recently have homology to disintegrins, which are proteins in snake venoms that can interact with integrins. These sperm disintegrin-like proteins are members of a molecular family, known as ADAM's (for A Disintegrin and A Metalloprotease) or MDC's (for Metalloprotease, Disintegrin, Cysteine-rich). This review will focus on the molecules that have been implicated in mediating mammalian sperm-egg binding or the fusion of the gamete membranes. The molecules that will be discussed include three members of the ADAM/MDC family on sperm (fertilin alpha, fertilin beta, and cyritestin), integrins on eggs (alpha-6/beta-1 and others), and a number of other egg and sperm molecules, novel and characterized in other systems, that have been implicated in these processes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008322	Mammals	Warm-blooded vertebrate animals belonging to the class Mammalia, including all that possess hair and suckle their young.	Mammalia,Mammal
D008561	Membrane Fusion	The adherence and merging of cell membranes, intracellular membranes, or artificial membranes to each other or to viruses, parasites, or interstitial particles through a variety of chemical and physical processes.	Fusion, Membrane,Fusions, Membrane,Membrane Fusions
D008562	Membrane Glycoproteins	Glycoproteins found on the membrane or surface of cells.	Cell Surface Glycoproteins,Surface Glycoproteins,Cell Surface Glycoprotein,Membrane Glycoprotein,Surface Glycoprotein,Glycoprotein, Cell Surface,Glycoprotein, Membrane,Glycoprotein, Surface,Glycoproteins, Cell Surface,Glycoproteins, Membrane,Glycoproteins, Surface,Surface Glycoprotein, Cell,Surface Glycoproteins, Cell
D008666	Metalloendopeptidases	ENDOPEPTIDASES which use a metal such as ZINC in the catalytic mechanism.	Metallo-Endoproteinases,Metalloendopeptidase
D002448	Cell Adhesion	Adherence of cells to surfaces or to other cells.	Adhesion, Cell,Adhesions, Cell,Cell Adhesions
D003165	Complement System Proteins	Serum glycoproteins participating in the host defense mechanism of COMPLEMENT ACTIVATION that creates the COMPLEMENT MEMBRANE ATTACK COMPLEX. Included are glycoproteins in the various pathways of complement activation (CLASSICAL COMPLEMENT PATHWAY; ALTERNATIVE COMPLEMENT PATHWAY; and LECTIN COMPLEMENT PATHWAY).	Complement Proteins,Complement,Complement Protein,Hemolytic Complement,Complement, Hemolytic,Protein, Complement,Proteins, Complement,Proteins, Complement System
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000072196	Fertilins	Sperm surface proteins involved in sperm-egg fusion. They consist of two subunits, fertilin alpha (ADAM1a) and beta (ADAM2), both of which belong to the metalloprotease-disintegrin protein family. The beta subunit does not have catalytic activity.	ADAM 1a Protein,ADAM 2 Protein,ADAM1 Protein,ADAM1a Protein,ADAM2 Protein,Fertilin,Fertilin Protein,Fertilin alpha,Fertilin beta,PH 30 Fusion Protein,PH-30 Fusion Protein,PH-30 Protein,PH-30 alpha,PH-30 beta,PH 30 Protein,PH 30 alpha,PH 30 beta,alpha, Fertilin,alpha, PH-30,beta, Fertilin,beta, PH-30