Araki Yoshihiko, Nohara Makoto, Yoshida-Komiya Hiromi, Kuramochi Takashi, Ito Mamoru, Hoshi Hiroyoshi, Shinkai Yoichi, Sendai Yutaka
Department of Immunology and Parasitology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
Biochem J. 2003 Sep 1;374(Pt 2):551-7. doi: 10.1042/BJ20030466.
The mammalian fertilization process takes place in a complex microenvironment within the female genital tract. A member of the chitinase protein family, oviduct-specific glycoprotein (OGP), has been identified in oviductal fluid from various mammalian species, including humans. Although OGP is widely believed to be involved in the process of mammalian fertilization, including spermatozoon function and gamete interactions, based on experimental results obtained in vitro, its physiological significance remains controversial. The present study established OGP gene-null ( ogp (-/-)) mice, and primarily characterized their reproductive properties to study the physiological function(s) of OGP. Results obtained from studies using an in vivo or in vitro system showed that the fertility of ogp (-/-) females was within normal limits. These results indicate that OGP is not essential for the process of in vivo fertilization, at least in mice.
哺乳动物的受精过程发生在雌性生殖道内复杂的微环境中。几丁质酶蛋白家族的成员——输卵管特异性糖蛋白(OGP),已在包括人类在内的多种哺乳动物的输卵管液中被鉴定出来。尽管基于体外实验结果,人们普遍认为OGP参与了哺乳动物的受精过程,包括精子功能和配子相互作用,但其生理意义仍存在争议。本研究建立了OGP基因敲除(ogp(-/-))小鼠,并初步表征了它们的生殖特性,以研究OGP的生理功能。使用体内或体外系统进行研究获得的结果表明,ogp(-/-)雌性小鼠的生育能力在正常范围内。这些结果表明,OGP对体内受精过程并非必不可少,至少在小鼠中是这样。