Isolation of a calcium-binding protein of the acrosomal membrane of bovine spermatozoa

The mammalian sperm acrosome reaction is a calcium-dependent exocytotic event characterized by extensive fusion between the plasma and the outer acrosomal membrane. The mechanisms by which elevation of cytosolic calcium initiates the membrane fusion process are not understood and the present study was undertaken to identify calcium-binding proteins in the acrosomal membrane (AM) of bovine spermatozoa. Sperm heads, purified from sonicated spermatozoa, were used to isolate an acrosomal membrane-enriched fraction on Percoll density gradients. Using SDS-PAGE and a 45Ca2+-blot overlay assay, calcium-binding proteins of 64, 45, 43, and 39 kDa were identified in the AM enriched fraction. Phase separation analysis with Triton X-114 identified the 64 kDa polypeptide as an integral membrane protein. The 64 kDa polypeptide was purified and utilized to prepare a polyclonal antiserum. Both light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry demonstrated that the protein was distributed throughout all domains of the acrosomal membrane. These results identify a 64 kDa calcium-binding integral membrane protein of the mammalian acrosome. Its potential function in calcium-dependent membrane fusion events of the acrosome reaction and in fertilization is discussed.