Peptides corresponding to the epidermal growth factor-like domain of mouse fertilin: synthesis and biological activity.

A key step leading to fertilization is the binding of sperm to the egg plasma membrane. When a mammalian sperm reaches the egg plasma membrane, fertilin, an extracellular sperm membrane protein, is believed to bind to an egg plasma membrane receptor mediating fusion. Fertilin is composed of two subunits, and each subunit contains several domains, i.e., metalloprotease, disintegrin, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like and fusion domains. This investigation examined the role of the EGF-like domains of mouse fertilin alpha and fertilin beta. Peptides corresponding to the N-terminal subdomain, containing four cysteines, and the C-terminal subdomain, containing two cysteines, were synthesized by solid-phase synthesis methods. Disulfide bonds were formed regioselectively according to the canonical EGF-like disulfide pattern. The activity of these peptides and their linear counterparts were tested for activity in a mouse in vitro fertilization assay. One peptide, 4a, corresponding to the cystine-constrained N-terminal subdomain of fertilin beta, had an activating effect on fertilization. The fertilization rate (number of eggs fertilized), fertilization index (number of sperm fused per egg), and level of polyspermy (three or more sperm fused per egg) increased in the presence of 500 microM 4a (12, 56, and 190%, respectively). Its linear counterpart, 4b, had no effect on in vitro fertilization. These data suggest that the EGF-like domain of fertilin beta has a function in sperm-egg binding and fusion. Previously, it has been shown that the fertilin beta disintegrin domain has a role in sperm-egg binding. Considered together, these studies suggest that fertilin is a modular, multidomain protein with more than one mechanism of action. This modularity may be used to design inhibitors of fertilin-receptor interactions that have high specificities for the fertilization process.