El paper dels autoantígens de l'espermatozoide humà en la fecundació i en patologies autoimmunes causants d'infertilitat

Sperm membrane antigens are the target for some autoimmune diseases in men; these antigens elicit antibody production, inducing infertility; their isolation has great interest: determination of which are the receptors in sperm membrane responsible for the binding, species specific, with oocyte pellucidal zone (ZP), that promotes acrosome exocytosis (acrosome reaction) in sperm. In mouse, a 95 kD protein, that increases phosphorylation in its interaction with oocyte ZP and in the process of acrosome reaction, has been described. We have obtained a monoclonal antibody (high priority in a Workshop by the WHO) sperm specific that allowed to define to a 95 kD human sperm protein named FA-2 (Fertilization-Antigen 2). In this project, we will isolate FA-2 antigen to investigate the phosphorylation ability in capacitation and acrosome reaction of human sperm. We will try to know its role in fert