Structural highlights
Function
VERL_HALRU Structural component of the egg vitelline envelope; forms long filaments. Functions as a 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] MALE_ECO57 Involved in the high-affinity maltose membrane transport system MalEFGK. Initial receptor for the active transport of and chemotaxis toward maltooligosaccharides (By similarity).
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
