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The researcher at the University of Murcia (UMU) María Jiménez Movilla collaborates in an article published in the journal Sciencie Translational Medicine, in which an innovative model to improve treatments in vitro fertility and may serve occurs, if commercially developed, as non-hormonal contraceptive method.
A sperm to join an egg and fertilize it, you have to specifically recognize the surrounding matrix known as the zona pellucida (ZP).
"Although the structure of the zona pellucida is not entirely known, we know that consists of four proteins in the case of the human species: ZP1, ZP2, ZP3 and ZP4, and three in the mouse: ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3" said Jimenez Movilla, researcher at the Department of Cell Biology and Histology of the University of Murcia.
Various important laboratories have tried to decipher for a long time which of these proteins was involved in fertilization between egg and sperm, but was recently in the laboratory of Jurrien Dean (National Institute of Health in the US), director of this work, where it was determined to be specifically a piece of the ZP2 protein matrix surrounding the ovum (both human and mouse) which allows the sperm to recognize the egg to fertilize.
For development work, it was introduced into the uterus of the coffee spheres ( "battered" by bits of ZP2 mouse) that reproduce the three-dimensional shape of the egg.
"The areas with the ZP2 protein, attract sperm, preventing them continue their path to the egg."
"This way, you prevent the female mice were fertilize after several crosses and for several weeks, and yet, with the passage of time and after removal of the areas of the uterus, the mice recover their fertility, so it is a reversible process, "said Jiménez Movilla.
On the other hand, in the case of humans, according to the research, the same strategy was used but with the fields "batter" by bits of human ZP2 protein, from which has developed a model to identify those sperm "higher "or more fertilising capacity.
Sperm donors were incubated with various areas to then recover those who had joined them.
The population of sperm that had been selected had a higher ability to bind to the egg, thus describing a method for sperm selection.
The researcher UMU explains the methods of sperm selection commonly used in techniques of in vitro fertilization are based on the morphology and motility of the sperm, but with this method, "get samples enriched with" super "sperm with which improve IVF techniques, especially in cases of fertility problems due to the male component. "
The progress made by researchers could help solve problems such as deficiency in sperm quality, as it will be possible to enrich the sample for only the best sperm.
"The success rate of IVF is still very low and this method will increase the chance of fertilization," he says.
In addition, the technological development of applied and innovative models presented in this paper, from the molecular description of the ZP2 protein egg responsible for recognition with the sperm to fertilize allow industrial momentum of these models and their application in the field of play.
Furthermore, these findings are allowing transfer experience to other species, such as farm animals, where the technology will be applied to both sperm selection and improvement of production, and methods for controlling reproduction of some species without the use of drugs hormone that can alter their physiology.
This work, conducted with the support of biomedical research Murciano Institute (IMIB) of the Autonomous Community and the UMU, is funded by the "Young leaders in research" program of the Seneca Foundation.
Source: Universidad de Murcia
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