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A thermodynamic study of sperm-egg interaction.

V Elia, F Rosati, G Barone

The EMBO Journal

|January 1, 1983

Summary

Spermatozoa binding to glycerol-treated ascidian eggs releases excess heat without oxygen consumption. This metabolic activation occurs only when sperm attach singly, not in aggregates, revealing a key aspect of fertilization.

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Area of Science:

Reproductive Biology
Cellular Physiology
Marine Invertebrate Zoology

Background:

Studied sperm-egg interactions in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis.
Utilized glycerol-treated 'ghost eggs' retaining intact vitelline coat (VC) for binding studies.
Ghost eggs are metabolically inert, allowing focused analysis of sperm behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the energetic and metabolic consequences of sperm binding to the ascidian egg's vitelline coat.
Analyze heat evolution and oxygen consumption of spermatozoa upon binding to ghost eggs.
Determine the relationship between sperm concentration, binding mode, and metabolic activation.

Main Methods:

Glycerol treatment of Ciona intestinalis eggs to create metabolically inert ghost eggs.
Measurement of heat evolved and oxygen consumption by spermatozoa in seawater and upon binding to ghost eggs.
Analysis of sperm binding kinetics and heat production as a function of sperm concentration.

Main Results:

Spermatozoa binding to ghost eggs triggers significant heat evolution ('excess heat') without increased oxygen consumption.
Excess heat production, plotted against sperm concentration, shows an asymmetric bell-shaped curve.
This curve shape suggests sperm agglutination at high concentrations competitively inhibits metabolic activation.

Conclusions:

Only monomeric (singly attached) spermatozoa undergo metabolic activation upon binding to the egg.
The study elucidates a critical threshold for sperm metabolic activation in ascidian fertilization.
Findings provide insights into the biophysical and energetic aspects of species-specific gamete recognition.

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