Sweet egg adhesive has been identified

2011/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza
• Anatomia/Fisiologia
• Biologia

The sperm needs sweetness to introduce the egg, which before penetrating adheres to the egg, for which it is essential the presence of some carbohydrates in the hairy layer. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have identified these carbohydrates and their work has been published in the journal Science.

The researchers have analyzed with mass spectrometry two hundred eggs discarded in reproductive treatments, highlighting in their article the importance of a certain carbohydrate of the lucidal layer. It is called Sialyl lewis X and is much more abundant in the egg than in other cells, completely covering the surface of the egg.

In vitro experiments have shown that this carbohydrate is essential for sperm to stick to the egg. They also believe that it may have another function: to protect the fertilized egg from the mother's immune system.

However, researchers consider that there should be an interaction between the sperm and the egg, probably between proteins. Therefore, they intend to continue investigating, as it will serve to improve the results of reproductive treatments.