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Induction of the acrosome reaction in bull spermatozoa with plasmin
Author(s) -
Taitzoglou I. A.,
Chapman D. A.,
Killian G. J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
andrologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1439-0272
pISSN - 0303-4569
DOI - 10.1046/j.1439-0272.2003.00541.x
Subject(s) - acrosome reaction , capacitation , plasmin , acrosome , sperm , andrology , human fertilization , incubation , protease , fibrinolysis , proteolysis , chemistry , proteolytic enzymes , sperm motility , biochemistry , biology , enzyme , medicine , anatomy
Summary. Proteolytic enzymes appear to have an essential role in multiple phases of mammalian fertilization. Plasmin, the active enzyme of the plasminogen activation system that stimulates fibrinolysis and proteolysis has a less well‐documented role in reproduction. The current study was conducted to investigate the effect of the active protease, plasmin, on the ability of bovine sperm to undergo the acrosome reaction. Aliquots of freshly ejaculated bull sperm were incubated in capacitating conditions with 10 μg ml −1 of heparin for 4 h. Every 2 h an aliquot of spermatozoa was exposed to lysophosphatidylcholine (100 μg ml −1 ) or 0, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 mU of plasmin to induce the acrosome reaction in capacitated spermatozoa. Plasmin increased the percentage of live acrosome reacted sperm after 4 h of incubation in the capacitation medium. Viability was not affected by any of the treatments. This study provides new information on bovine acrosome reaction during in vitro incubation with plasmin and indicates that this protease may participate in the proteolytic events that accompany fertilization.