Family of sperm associated antigens: relevance in sperm-egg interaction and immunocontraception.

Overpopulation is a global problem of significant magnitude, with grave implications for the future. Development of new contraceptives is necessary, since current forms of birth control are unavailable, impractical and/or too expensive to many individuals due to sociological, financial, or educational limitations. A novel contraceptive strategy that is receiving considerable attention is that of immunocontraception. The targeting of antibodies to gamete-specific antigens implicated in sperm function, sperm-egg binding and fertilization offers an attractive approach to the growing global problem of over population. The sermatozoon has proteins that are unique, cell specific, immunogenic and accessible to antibodies. Immunological interaction with such molecules can cause block of sperm binding to the oocyte and thus fertilization. Modern biotechnologies (such as sperm proteomics, the determination of molecular and structural details of sperm proteins, and the modelling of protein-ligand interaction using X-ray and/or NMR structures to name a few) are trying to make intervention into the domain of human reproduction possible through the development of a variety of new methods and products to control fertility. The present article highlights the various sperm associated antigens involved in various aspects of sperm-egg interaction.