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TRYPSIN-MEDIATED MODIFICATION OF THE ZONA PELLUCIDA GLYCOPEPTIDE STRUCTURE OF HAMSTER EGGS

Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology, University of Hawaii School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, and Cancer Council and Electron Microscopy Laboratories, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, California 92112, U.S.A.

(Received 30th August 1974)

One of the mechanisms that prevents polyspermy in mammals is the zona reaction, which involves a modification of the zona pellucida (Braden, Austin & David, 1954; Austin, 1961). Cortical granules have been implicated in this process because upon stimulation or fertilization of the egg they release a substance(s) which acts on the zona and renders it impenetrable to spermatozoa (Austin & Braden, 1956; Barros & Yanagimachi, 1971). Gwatkin, Williams, Hartmann & Kniazuk (1973) have proposed that the zona reaction is mediated by a trypsin-like protease released from the cortical granules which attacks the zona sperm-receptors. Vacquier, Tegner & Epel (1972, 1973) have proposed a similar mechanism for the block to polyspermy in invertebrate