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Related Experiment Videos

Sperm surface proteases in ascidian fertilization.

Charles C Lambert1, Tetsuya Someno, Hitoshi Sawada

  • 1Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250, USA. clambert@fullerton.edu

The Journal of Experimental Zoology
|December 26, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Sperm surface proteases like spermosin and acrosin are crucial for ascidian fertilization rates, while chymotrypsin aids egg coat penetration. Spermosin

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Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Ascidian fertilization involves sperm penetrating protective layers surrounding the egg.
  • Sperm surface proteases play key roles in fertilization across different ascidian species.
  • Previous studies identified spermosin, acrosin, and proteasome as essential in stolidobranch ascidians.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the roles of sperm surface proteases in fertilization across various ascidian groups (stolidobranch, phlebobranch, aplousobranch).
  • To compare the necessity of spermosin, acrosin, and chymotrypsin-like proteases in fertilization.
  • To understand the evolutionary divergence in protease function during ascidian fertilization.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of sperm surface protease activities (spermosin, acrosin, chymotrypsin) in different ascidian species.

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  • Use of protease inhibitors (e.g., chymostatin) to assess their impact on fertilization events.
  • Observation of sperm-egg interactions, including binding and penetration through the vitelline coat.
  • Assessment of fertilization rates and early developmental events (pre-meiotic contractions).

    • Main Results:

    • In phlebobranch ascidians, chymotrypsin activity is essential for vitelline coat penetration.
    • Spermosin and acrosin activities significantly increase fertilization rates by accelerating the process.
    • Spermosin is absent in aplousobranch ascidians and not essential for their fertilization, suggesting adaptation to internal fertilization in small zooids.

    Conclusions:

    • Spermosin and acrosin function to enhance fertilization speed, while chymotrypsin is critical for egg coat penetration.
    • Evolutionary loss or modification of spermosin and acrosin function may distinguish ascidian lineages.
    • The necessity of specific sperm proteases varies with ascidian reproductive strategies and morphology.