Zafar Mohammad Ishraq, Lu Shi, Li Honggang
Institute of Reproductive Health/Center of Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hang Kong Road, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jeifang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, People's Republic of China.
Cell Biosci. 2021 Jan 6;11(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s13578-020-00520-1.
The fertilizing spermatozoon is a highly specialized cell that selects from millions along the female tract until the oocyte. The paternal components influence the oocyte activation during fertilization and are fundamental for normal embryo development; however, the sperm-oocyte interplay is in a continuous debate. This review aims to analyze the available scientific information related to the role of the male gamete in the oocyte activation during fertilization, the process of the interaction of sperm factors with oocyte machinery, and the implications of any alterations in this interplay, as well as the advances and limitations of the reproductive techniques and diagnostic tests. At present, both PLCζ and PAWP are the main candidates as oocyte activated factors during fertilization. While PLCζ mechanism is via IP, how PAWP activates the oocyte still no clear, and these findings are important to study and treat fertilization failure due to oocyte activation, especially when one of the causes is the deficiency of PLCζ in the sperm. However, no diagnostic test has been developed to establish the amount of PLCζ, the protocol to treat this type of pathologies is broad, including treatment with ionophores, sperm selection improvement, and microinjection with PLCζ protein or RNA.
受精精子是一种高度特化的细胞，它在雌性生殖道中从数百万个精子中进行筛选，直至找到卵母细胞。父本成分在受精过程中影响卵母细胞激活，对正常胚胎发育至关重要；然而，精子与卵母细胞的相互作用一直存在争议。本综述旨在分析与雄配子在受精过程中卵母细胞激活的作用、精子因子与卵母细胞机制的相互作用过程、这种相互作用中任何改变的影响以及生殖技术和诊断测试的进展与局限性相关的现有科学信息。目前，磷脂酶Cζ（PLCζ）和精子水通道蛋白（PAWP）都是受精过程中卵母细胞激活因子的主要候选者。虽然PLCζ的作用机制是通过肌醇三磷酸（IP），但PAWP如何激活卵母细胞仍不清楚，这些发现对于研究和治疗因卵母细胞激活导致的受精失败很重要，尤其是当原因之一是精子中PLCζ缺乏时。然而，尚未开发出用于确定PLCζ含量的诊断测试，治疗这类病症的方案多种多样，包括使用离子载体治疗、改善精子筛选以及注射PLCζ蛋白或RNA进行显微注射。
