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25 April 2012 Characterization of Recombinant Murine Binder of Sperm Protein Homolog 1 and Its Role in Capacitation
Geneviève Plante, Isabelle Thérien, Puttaswamy Manjunath
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Abstract

Sperm capacitation is a maturation step that is deemed to be essential for sperm to fertilize an oocyte. A family of proteins, the binder of sperm (BSP), are known to bind choline phospholipids on sperm membranes and promote capacitation in bulls and boars. Recently, BSP-homologous genes have been identified in the epididymal tissues of human (BSPH1) and mouse (Bsph1, Bsph2). The aim of this study was to determine the binding characteristics of the murine binder of sperm protein homolog 1 (BSPH1) and evaluate its effects on sperm capacitation. Since it is not possible to purify the native BSP proteins from human and mouse in sufficient quantity, a murine recombinant BSPH1 (rec-BSPH1) was produced and used for the functional studies. Similarly to BSP proteins from other species, rec-BSPH1 bound to gelatin, heparin, phosphatidylcholine liposomes, and sperm. Both native BSPH1 and rec-BSPH1 were detected on the head and the midpiece region of sperm, although a stronger signal was detected on the midpiece region when sperm were incubated in a capacitating media containing bovine serum albumin. More importantly, murine rec-BSPH1 was able to capacitate sperm, but was unable to induce the acrosome reaction. These results show that murine epididymal BSPH1 shares many biochemical and functional characteristics with BSP proteins secreted by seminal vesicles of ungulates, and suggest that it might play a similar role in sperm functions.

© 2012 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.
Geneviève Plante, Isabelle Thérien, and Puttaswamy Manjunath "Characterization of Recombinant Murine Binder of Sperm Protein Homolog 1 and Its Role in Capacitation," Biology of Reproduction 87(1), (25 April 2012). https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.111.096644
Received: 27 September 2011; Accepted: 1 April 2012; Published: 25 April 2012
KEYWORDS
binder of sperm (BSP) proteins
epididymal protein
fibronectin (Fn) 2 domains
murine sperm capacitation
recombinant protein expression
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