[ role of acrosin in reproduction]

Acrosin, an endoprotease with trypsin-likc substrate specificity, is localized in the acrosomal matrix as an enzymatically inactive zymogen, proacrosin, that is then converted into the active form as i consequence of the acrosome reaction. The physiological role of acrosin in fertilization has long been believed to be the limited proteolysis of the zona pellucida. Using homologous recombination, we have previously successfully produced malc mice carrying a disruptive mutation in the acrosin gcne and found that the mouse sperm lacking acrosin protease activity still penetrate zona pellucida and normally fertilize the egg These Results provide evidence, that acrosin is not essential for sperm penetration of the zona pellucida. However. mouse sperm lacking acrosin showed a delay in penetration of the zona pellucida solely at the early stage after insemination To elucidate the role of acrosin in fertilization, we have examined the involvement of acrosin in fertilization of zona pellucida after hardening and agining. We used DMSO for the hardening of zona pellucida. We observed that sperm lacking acrosin showed a reduced fertilitzation of eggs after zona pellucida hardening and aging. These data suggest the role of acrosin in combined infertility. which male and female factors are involved

Actividad proteolitica de la Acrosina como parametro para evaluar el estado Acrosomico y predecir el potencial de fertilidad del espermatozoide humano / Proteolitic activity of Acrosine as a parameter to evaluate the acrosomic states and predict fertility of human spermatozoid

El presente trabajo fue orientado a la identificacion de un metodo de extraccion de la Acrosina control de la densidad espermatica despues de la extraccion, control de calidad para la eliminacion de contaminantes y el estudio de parametros cineticos de la enzima (concentracion de substrato, enzima, pH, temperatura, tiempo de reaccion). Se estudiaron 104 muestras de liquido seminal, los cuales fueron clasificados de acuerdo a criterios de la OMS. En todos los grupos clasificados se determinaron la actividad catalitica de la Acrosina y los parametros seminologicos. Se concluye que la determinacion de la actividad catalitica de la Acrosina discrimina entre los acrosomas indemnes de los espermatozoides normales; y los acrosomas con alteraciones de las membranas acrosomicas en espermios defectuosos por lo tanto evalua la capacidad de fertilidad del espermatozoide humano, siendo un importante parametro adicional el simograma de rutina, y un requisito para la fertilizacion in vitro e inseminacion artificila.