Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T21:41:24.744Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Hyaluronic acid enhances induction of the acrosome reaction of human sperm through interaction with the PH-20 protein

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2001

Khalida Sabeur
Affiliation:
Division of Reproductive Biology and Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Gary N. Cherr
Affiliation:
Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Ashley I. Yudin
Affiliation:
Division of Reproductive Biology and Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
James W. Overstreet
Affiliation:
Division of Reproductive Biology and Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Abstract

When capacitated human sperm were treated with hyaluronic acid (HA) for 30 min prior to the addition of progesterone or solubilised human zonae pellucidae, there was a significant increase in the percentage of acrosome reactions. Progesterone treatment alone increased acrosome reactions from 10.5% to 21.8% and pretreatment with 100 µg/ml HA resulted in 33.0% acrosome reactions. With zonae pellucidae treatment alone the increase was from 9.0% to 23.5% and with HA pretreatment it was 48.8%. HA treatment alone had no direct effect on acrosome reactions, and the enhancing effect of HA was not removed when sperm were washed prior to the addition of either acrosome reaction agonist. Experiments with sperm 5 min after HA treatment demonstrated that enhancement of acrosome reactions was apparent as early as 1 min after addition of zonae and within 5 min after addition of progesterone. When sperm were pretreated with Fab fragments of anti-PH-20 IgG, then with HA and then with progesterone or zonae pellucidae, there was no enhancement of the acrosome reaction. Fab treatment did not induce acrosome reactions and did not interfere with the action of either agonist in the absence of HA. Sperm that were treated with HA had significantly higher intracellular calcium levels, and pretreatment with Fab reduced this increase to 42.7%. Addition of progesterone to HA-treated sperm was followed by another large increase in intracellular calcium, which was lower when sperm were pretreated with Fab. These results suggest that HA interacts with the PH-20 protein to increase basal levels of intracellular calcium and thereby potentiates the acrosome reaction. The data support the hypothesis that HA in the cumulus matrix may act to prime the fertilising sperm for induction of the acrosome reaction by constituents of the cumulus and/or zona pellucida.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
1998 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)