Differences among eight mammalian species in the zona pellucida resistance to enzymatic digestion induced by oviductal fluid | Diferencias entre ocho especies de mamíferos en la resistencia de la zona pelúcida a la digestión enzimática inducida por el fluido oviductal
2011
Mondéjar, I., Universidad de Murcia (España). Facultad de Veterinaria | Avilés, M., Universidad de Murcia (España). Facultad de Veterinaria | Coy, P., Universidad de Murcia (España). Facultad de Veterinaria
The pre-fertilization zona pellucida (ZP) hardening is a mechanism recently described affecting, at least, porcine and bovine oocytes. By this mechanism, the ZP of oocytes in contact with oviductal fluid binds oviductal-specific glycoprotein (OVGP1) and increases its resistance to proteolytic digestion and to sperm entry. Sulphated glycosaminoglycans (S-GAGs) reinforce OVGP1-ZP binding and prolong the effect along time. The present study tried to find out if this mechanism exists in other mammalian species different from the pig and cow and if the responsible molecules in the oviductal fluid of each species can act on ZP of heterologous oocytes. With this purpose, in vitro matured oocytes from bovine, caprine, porcine and ovine species and in vivo matured oocytes from rabbit, hamster, rat and mouse were incubated in oviductal fluid collected at the end of the follicular phase from bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine and rabbit oviducts. The results showed that all the oocytes incubated with each oviductal fluid increased at a variable level their resistance to pronase digestion, except rat and mouse. Rat oocytes were affected only by rabbit oviductal fluid and mouse oocytes were affected only by rabbit and goat oviductal fluids. In conclusion, the effect of oviductal fluid on pre-fertilization zona pellucida hardening is not species-specific, and represents a common mechanism for different mammals.
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