Abstract
A study in vitro of interactions between gametes of the golden hamster showed that the spermatozoon associates with the zona pellucida, or outer coat of the ovum, by two successive steps termed attachment and binding. Attachment, apparently the first step in fertilization, is not species-specific; it is insensitive to temperature (2°) and is reversible. Binding, on the other hand, is species-specific, temperature-sensitive, and irreversible. Experiments with isolated zonae pellucidae indicated that the vitellus (cellular portion of the ovum) influences the interaction between the sperm and the zona pellucida by increasing the time required for the sperm to bind. This effect is exerted on the sperm while they are attached to the zona pellucida.
Keywords: fertilization, uncapacitated and capacitated sperm, hamster attachment, binding
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Christensen J. R. The kinetics of reversible and irreversible attachment of bacteriophage T-1. Virology. 1965 Aug;26(4):727–737. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(65)90336-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GAREN A., PUCK T. T. The first two steps of the invasion of host cells by bacterial viruses. II. J Exp Med. 1951 Sep;94(3):177–189. doi: 10.1084/jem.94.3.177. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gwatkin R. B., Hutchison C. F. Capacitation of hamster spermatozoa by beta-glucuronidase. Nature. 1971 Jan 29;229(5283):343–344. doi: 10.1038/229343b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gwatkin R. B., Williams D. T. Inhibition of sperm capacitation in vitro by contraceptive steroids. Nature. 1970 Jul 11;227(5254):182–183. doi: 10.1038/227182a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hartmann J. F., Gwatkin R. B. Alteration of sites on the mammalian sperm surface following capacitation. Nature. 1971 Dec 24;234(5330):479–481. doi: 10.1038/234479b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]