Regulation of acrosomal matrix dispersion in digitonin-permeabilized guinea pig spermatozoa

Digitonin-permeabilized guinea pig spermatozoa undergo acrosomal matrix dispersion in response to 2.0 mM CaCl2. In this report, the effects of pH and metal ions on matrix dispersion in permeabilized spermatozoa are examined. Calcium-induced dispersion of the acrosomal matrix was dependent on the calcium concentration; the response was not observed at concentrations of CaCl2 less than 50 microM. Magnesium could not substitute for calcium and, in fact, had a retarding effect on the calcium-induced response. Matrix dispersion was also found to be pH-dependent. The induction of matrix dispersion was inhibited at pH 5.6 and pH 9.5 relative to the responses observed at pH 6.3 and pH 7.8. Nigericin induced acrosomal matrix dispersion in the absence of added calcium, indicating a possible role of Na+/H+ exchange across the outer acrosomal membrane in initiating the matrix modification. Sodium was required for the action of nigericin; the ionophore was ineffective in medium in which choline chloride or sucrose was substituted for NaCl. In contrast, the calcium-induced dispersion of the acrosomal matrix occurred in the absence of sodium. Furthermore, low concentrations of calcium inhibited an adenosine triphosphatase activity associated with isolated acrosomal apical segments. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that calcium induces alkalinization of the acrosome, leading to matrix dispersion. However, permeabilized spermatozoa incubated at either pH 9.5 or in the presence of 50 mM NH4Cl at pH 7.5 failed to undergo spontaneous matrix dispersion, suggesting that elevated intraacrosomal pH alone was not sufficient to initiate the reaction. The proposed alternative hypothesis is that calcium initiates matrix dispersion by a mechanism in which elevated intraacrosomal pH may be a secondary response.