A groundbreaking discovery in reproductive research has mapped out the molecular events that occur upon conception that could be key in creating a male birth control pill.
"This report expands our fundamental understanding of the molecular architecture at the site of sperm-egg fusion," says lead author John Herr of the University of Virginia.
Upon arriving at the egg, enzymes in the sperm help it penetrate the surface and fuse within, according to the study, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction.
The release of these penetration enzymes is called acrosomal reaction and the process transforms the head of the sperm, kicking dramatic changes into action.
Yet one protein called ESP1 -- which Herr's lab discovered 15 years ago -- doesn't change and stands stoically at the site of the fusion.
Herr's research provides evidence that ESP1 is stabilizing this area and could initiate fusion, playing an important structural role after the acrosome reaction starts.
"We suspect ESP1 is one of the key molecules that helps to stabilize the equatorial segment region of the sperm head," says Herr.
The molecular components of fertilization are key and Herr's research also heeds clues as to how sperm are formed -- a process which, again, involved ESP1.
During formation, the making of the sperm's equatorial segment -- a region defined as a sort of girth around the head of the sperm -- is the dominant process, appearing to take priority.
"One of the things that is so interesting about this protein is that as the acrosome forms, the equatorial segment appears to be specified very early in the formation of this organelle," says Herr.
The next step in the research is to decipher the role of sugar molecules that the team has associated with ESP1 and one hypothesis suggests that during fusion, they are shed before the equatorial segment condenses.
"The fundamental questions are," says Herr, "Why does the equatorial segment stay intact after the acrosomal reaction? What molecular interactions contribute to its stability?"
If his team finds the answers, they could discover how to block these interactions, preventing pregnancy.
Prior studies by Herr's lab have led to the creation of a home fertility test for men called SpermCheck that's available around the world.
Other approaches to male contraception include Vasalgel, a polymer jelly that works as a sort of liquid vasectomy that's likely easier to reverse than the conventional method in which the vas deferens -- through which sperm travel in the scrotum -- is surgically cut.
Clinical trials of Vasalgel are to begin later this year or possibly in 2016, according to the Parsemus Foundation, who is sponsoring the project.
Meanwhile a non-hormonal pill called Gendarussa that's made from the plant Justicia gendarussa is in phase two of clinical trials in Indonesia.
Male birth control pill could one day follow fertilization discovery
A groundbreaking discovery in reproductive research has mapped out the molecular events that occur upon conception that could be key in creating a male birth control pill.
"This report expands our fundamental understanding of the molecular architecture at the site of sperm-egg fusion," says lead author John Herr of the University of Virginia.
Upon arriving at the egg, enzymes in the sperm help it penetrate the surface and fuse within, according to the study, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction.
The release of these penetration enzymes is called acrosomal reaction and the process transforms the head of the sperm, kicking dramatic changes into action.
Yet one protein called ESP1 -- which Herr's lab discovered 15 years ago -- doesn't change and stands stoically at the site of the fusion.
Herr's research provides evidence that ESP1 is stabilizing this area and could initiate fusion, playing an important structural role after the acrosome reaction starts.
"We suspect ESP1 is one of the key molecules that helps to stabilize the equatorial segment region of the sperm head," says Herr.
The molecular components of fertilization are key and Herr's research also heeds clues as to how sperm are formed -- a process which, again, involved ESP1.
During formation, the making of the sperm's equatorial segment -- a region defined as a sort of girth around the head of the sperm -- is the dominant process, appearing to take priority.
"One of the things that is so interesting about this protein is that as the acrosome forms, the equatorial segment appears to be specified very early in the formation of this organelle," says Herr.
The next step in the research is to decipher the role of sugar molecules that the team has associated with ESP1 and one hypothesis suggests that during fusion, they are shed before the equatorial segment condenses.
"The fundamental questions are," says Herr, "Why does the equatorial segment stay intact after the acrosomal reaction? What molecular interactions contribute to its stability?"
If his team finds the answers, they could discover how to block these interactions, preventing pregnancy.
Prior studies by Herr's lab have led to the creation of a home fertility test for men called SpermCheck that's available around the world.
Other approaches to male contraception include Vasalgel, a polymer jelly that works as a sort of liquid vasectomy that's likely easier to reverse than the conventional method in which the vas deferens -- through which sperm travel in the scrotum -- is surgically cut.
Clinical trials of Vasalgel are to begin later this year or possibly in 2016, according to the Parsemus Foundation, who is sponsoring the project.
Meanwhile a non-hormonal pill called Gendarussa that's made from the plant Justicia gendarussa is in phase two of clinical trials in Indonesia.
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