Sperm binding glycoprotein is differentially present surrounding the lumen of isthmus and ampulla of the pig’s oviduct

Abstract

In several mammals a sperm reservoir is formed at the isthmus of the Fallopian tube, providing viable, potentially fertile sperm for an extensive period. In pig (Sus scrofa) the spermadhesin AQN-1 seems to be involved in the establishment of the sperm reservoir. The pig oviductal protein, sperm binding glycoprotein (SBG), binds to sperm and exposes carbohydrate groups that can be recognized by AQN-1. In this study we obtain anti-SBG polyclonal antibodies and use them to localize SBG in the oviduct. Immunohistochemical analysis shows that SBG is present at the apical surface of isthmic and ampullar epithelial cells. The presence of SBG is limited to the upper two-thirds of the crypts of the isthmus and to cells located near the oviductal lumen in the ampulla. The ratio of the amount of SBG detected by western blot is 1:3 (ampulla:isthmus). Sperm entering the Fallopian tube probably contact the epithelial cells at the lumen before they reach the cells at the bottom of the folds. In vitro sperm can bind to isthmus and, at less extent, to ampulla. Thus, the localization and the relative amount of SBG in the isthmus and ampulla of pig's oviduct are compatible with its possible function in sperm binding to oviductal epithelial cells.

The effect of oviductal deleted in malignant brain tumor 1 over porcine sperm is mediated by a signal transduction pathway that involves pro-AKAP4 phosphorylation

“…The oviductal glycoprotein deleted in malignant brain tumor 1 (DMBT1), previously called sperm-binding glycoprotein (SBG;Teijeiro et al 2012), has also been considered partially responsible for this selection process (Teijeiro et al 2008(Teijeiro et al , 2011. This protein localizes to the apical surface of cells at the lumen of the porcine oviduct (Perez et al 2006) in coincidence with the localization of damaged sperm reported in vivo (Mburu et al 1996(Mburu et al , 1997 and produces in vitro acrosome alteration of capacitating sperm (Teijeiro et al 2008). It was first isolated from the oviduct based on its ability to bind to boar sperm periacrosomal membranes (Marini & Cabada 2003) and produces not only alteration of pig sperm acrosome integrity but also another biological effect, suppression of motility, as well as tyrosine phosphorylation of a 97 kDa sperm protein (p97; Teijeiro et al 2008Teijeiro et al , 2011.…”

“…Studying the porcine oviductal cell-sperm interaction, we have previously reported the identification and localization of SBG (Marini & Cabada 2003, Perez et al 2006, a glycoprotein that mainly produces three effects on sperm, decrease in motility, acrosome alteration, and tyrosine phosphorylation of a protein of apparent molecular mass 97 kDa (p97; Teijeiro et al 2008), and proposed a role for it in sperm selection. Further studies allowed us to identify SBG as an oviductal form of DMBT1 (Teijeiro et al 2012).…”

Deleted in malignant brain tumor 1 is secreted in the oviduct and involved in the mechanism of fertilization in equine and porcine species

“…In a previous study (Perez et al 2006), immunohistochemical analysis of DMBT1 in oviducts obtained from gilts of approximately 120 days of age. Advances in in vitro production of pig embryos was performed.…”

“…The pig SBG has been shown to be present in the oviduct, at the apical surface of isthmic and ampullar epithelial cells (Perez et al 2006), to bind to the heads of pig sperm (Marini & Cabada 2003) and to be involved in sperm selection in the oviduct (Teijeiro et al 2008).…”

Porcine oviduct sperm binding glycoprotein and its deleterious effect on sperm: a mechanism for negative selection of sperm?

“…This selection remains a poorly studied event, but sperm subpopulations with altered plasma membranes have been detected in the lumen of the oviduct (Mburu et al, 1997;Tienthai et al, 2004). Interestingly, porcine sperm binding glycoprotein (SBG), which produces an acrosomal alteration effect on sperm incubated under capacitating conditions (Teijeiro et al, 2008), localizes to the apical surface of cells at the lumen of the oviduct, as determined by immunohistochemistry (Pérez et al, 2006). SBG was fi rst isolated due to its capacity of association to sperm periacrosomal membranes; it shows an apparent molecular mass higher than 220 kDa and exposes Galβ1-3GalNAc (Marini and Cabada, 2003).…”