Structural highlights
Function
VERL_HALRU Structural component of the egg vitelline envelope; forms long filaments. Functions as species-specific receptor for the sperm protein lysin; prevents fertilization by sperm from other species. Each VERL chain can bind multiple copies of the sperm protein lysin; this creates a 3 um hole in the egg vitelline envelope through which the sperm passes.[1] [2]
Publication Abstract from PubMed
Recognition between sperm and the egg surface marks the beginning of life in all sexually reproducing organisms. This fundamental biological event depends on the species-specific interaction between rapidly evolving counterpart molecules on the gametes. We report biochemical, crystallographic, and mutational studies of domain repeats 1-3 of invertebrate egg coat protein VERL and their interaction with cognate sperm protein lysin. VERL repeats fold like the functionally essential N-terminal repeat of mammalian sperm receptor ZP2, whose structure is also described here. Whereas sequence-divergent repeat 1 does not bind lysin, repeat 3 binds it non-species specifically via a high-affinity, largely hydrophobic interface. Due to its intermediate binding affinity, repeat 2 selectively interacts with lysin from the same species. Exposure of a highly positively charged surface of VERL-bound lysin suggests that complex formation both disrupts the organization of egg coat filaments and triggers their electrostatic repulsion, thereby opening a hole for sperm penetration and fusion.
Structural Basis of Egg Coat-Sperm Recognition at Fertilization.,Raj I, Sadat Al Hosseini H, Dioguardi E, Nishimura K, Han L, Villa A, de Sanctis D, Jovine L Cell. 2017 Jun 15;169(7):1315-1326.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.033. PMID:28622512[3]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Raj I, Sadat Al Hosseini H, Dioguardi E, Nishimura K, Han L, Villa A, de Sanctis D, Jovine L. Structural Basis of Egg Coat-Sperm Recognition at Fertilization. Cell. 2017 Jun 15;169(7):1315-1326.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.033. PMID:28622512 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.033
- ↑ Swanson WJ, Vacquier VD. The abalone egg vitelline envelope receptor for sperm lysin is a giant multivalent molecule. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Jun 24;94(13):6724-9. PMID:9192632 doi:10.1073/pnas.94.13.6724
- ↑ Raj I, Sadat Al Hosseini H, Dioguardi E, Nishimura K, Han L, Villa A, de Sanctis D, Jovine L. Structural Basis of Egg Coat-Sperm Recognition at Fertilization. Cell. 2017 Jun 15;169(7):1315-1326.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.033. PMID:28622512 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.033
