Boar acrosin, II: Amino acid composition, amino terminal residue and molecular weight estimations by ultracentrifugation.

The molecular weight of boar acrosin in neutral solution was estimated to be 41000 +/- 1000 by high-speed sedimentation equilibrium analysis. This result is in good agreement with the value found earlier[1] by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The sedimentation coefficeint of acrosin obtained by active enzyme centrifugation of partly purified preparations is in accordance with the sedimentation coefficient of the pure preparation estimated by conventional sedimentation velocity analysis. The sedimentation coefficient of acrosin is considerably decreased in slightly acidic solution (pH 4), indicating that changes in the tertiary structure occur upon acidification. The amino acid composition of the acrosin preparation homogeneous by electrophoretic and chromatographic criteria and in sedimentation studies was determined. Valine was found as the unique N-terminal amino acid. However, in microheterogeneous forms of acrosin, alanine and methionine were also detected in end group analysis.     

Improved zymographic detection of bovine acrosin.

Acrosomal materials extracted from bovine spermatozoa contain a trypsin-like proteinase termed acrosin (1–3) (EC 3.4.21.10). The presence of multiple molecular forms of this spermatozoal enzyme has been demonstrated both by gel filtration (2) and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (1,3).The enzymic reactions of proteinases can be detected in electrophoretic patterns by incorporating proteinaceous substrates in the electrophoretic media (4) or by using specific amino acid derivatives of β-naphthylamine (1,5,6). Andary and Dabich (6) recently reported that the former method was improved by diffusing the proteinaceous substrate into the gel during a 1-hr incubation period following electrophoresis. The zymogram then required an additional incubation of the gel in buffer solution for 2–12 hr before the transparent zones of proteinase activity were detectable. Incubation periods of less than 1 hr are normally required for the zymographic staining methods that use synthetic arginine derivatives of β-napthylamine to detect acrosin activity. These systems do, however, suffer from a lack of sensitivity and fading of the diazonium-coupled product (1). An improved method for rapid detection of acrosin activity in gels would, therefore, be useful. The present communication describes an improved version of the staining system for detecting acrosin activity using a synthetic arginine derivative of β-naphthylamine. The application of this staining system for the detection of the multiple forms of bovine acrosin is presented. In addition, the stability of the zymograms resulting from three different coupling dyes was investigated using a miniature polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic system.     

Evidence of a high molecular weight form of acrosin in boar acrosomal extract

Acrosomal extracts of freshly ejaculated and immediately processed boar spermatozoa were investigated to detect which and how many acrosin molecular forms were present. Electrophoretic analyses of the acrosomal extract showed the presence of only one, slowly migrating, acrosin molecular form. Enzyme-linked-immuno-electro-transfer blot revealed the molecular weight of this form to be about 66 kdalton. Preliminary electrophoretic analyses under nondenaturating conditions of the acrosomal extract previously treated with thermolysin suggested that the approximately 66 kdalton form gives rise to two comigrating acrosin molecular forms.     

Biochemical studies on proacrosin and acrosin from epididymal boar spermatozoa: in vitro translation of boar testicular proacrosin mRNA

An inactive form of acrosin was extracted from epididymal boar spermatozoa utilizing acid pH conditions. When subjected to activation in alkaline environment, this form turns into an enzymatically active species, which exhibits close-related electrophoretic characteristics. Both the precursor and the activated species, when incubated in the presence of thermolysin, give rise to two fastly moving acrosin molecular forms. In order to establish the nature of the true acrosin zymogen, we isolated poly(A+)-RNA from boar testicles, performed its translation in vitro in the presence of [35S]-methionine and reticulocyte lysate, immunoprecipitated the translation products with anti-boar acrosin antibody, and analyzed them by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. A single translation product of molecular weight 55,000 was detected. It is concluded that the polypeptide chain of the boar zymogen is of 55,000; increases in molecular weight are due to post-translational modifications, like glycosylation.     

Loss of acrosin from bovine spermatozoa following cold shock: Protective effects of seminal plasma

Loss of the alkaline proteinase acrosin and other proteins from the acrosome of bovine spermatozoa was investigated following cold shock and/or incubation of the spermatozoa at either 5, 21, or 37 °C for 4 hr. As detected by electrophoretic analyses of the acrosomal material two bands of acrosin activity and 10 proteins were lost from the acrosome after cold shock and incubation for 4 hr at 5 or 21 °C, whereas one acrosin band and 10 protein bands were lost after cold shock and incubation at 37 °C. Only 45% of the total acrosin activity remained in the acrosome after both cold shock and 4-hr incubation at 37 °C. Egg yolk, present at levels above 15%, and seminal plasma prevented much of the loss of acrosin from the cells.     

Proacrosin/acrosin during guinea pig spermatogenesis

Enriched populations of guinea pig spermatogenic cells were isolated by sedimentation velocity at unit gravity. Each cell population was analyzed for the presence of members of the proacrosin/acrosin family by enzymography, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence. Following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in gels containing 0.1% gelatin, protease activities with molecular weights of 55,000 (major) and 50,000 (minor) were detected in round spermatid extracts. Condensing spermatid extracts contained protease activities with molecular weights between 55,000 and 50,000. These major protease activities had molecular weights similar to antigens detected by immunoblotting with a monospecific rabbit antiserum directed against purified boar acrosin. Extracts of guinea pig sperm and the soluble acrosomal components released following the acrosome reaction induced with ionophore A23187 contained three major protease activities (Mr 32,000, 34,000, 47,000) but only the 47,000 Mr protease cross-reacted with the antibody. The spermatid and sperm protease activities were inhibited and activated by classical effectors of acrosin activity from other species. Immunofluorescence demonstrated that proacrosin/acrosin was present as early as the Golgi phase of spermiogenesis. In addition, immunoreactivity was confined to the acrosomes in a manner characteristic of each spermatid stage. These results demonstrate that proacrosin/acrosin can be detected in the earliest spermiogenic stages by electrophoretic and immunological techniques and suggest that changes in the molecular weights of proacrosin/acrosin occur as spermatids mature.     

Studies on the rabbit proacrosin-acrosin system

A single molecular form (Mr = 68,000 approx) of a homogeneous preparation of rabbit testis proacrosin (S. K. Mukerji and S. Meizel (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 117;21-11728) was initially converted by autoactivation into an acrosin (Mr = 68,000); both gave a single activity and protein bands with similar electrophoretic mobilities (Rm = 0.25) when subjected to polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis on 7.5% gel at pH 4.5. Two additional bands (Rm values of 0.395-0.412 and 0.497-0.519, respectively) were noticeable only when proacrosin was activated further after attaining maximum activity. The slowest- and the fastest-moving bands were separated into two acrosin activity peaks by Sephadex G-100 gel-filtration chromatography on a calibrated column. The molecular weights of the two proteins, determined by rechromatography on the same column, was estimated to be 68,000 and 34,000, respectively. Also, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis of three acrosins gave protein bands which corresponded to molecular weights of approximately 68,000, 52,000, and 34,000, respectively. Electrophoresis data suggest that the loss of acrosin activity generally observed following prolonged activation of proacrosin is caused by self-aggregation of the Mr 34,000 form of acrosin. This property was not shown by Mr 68,000 acrosin. Initial acrosin (Mr = 68,000) was activated by divalent cations such as Ca2+ and Mg2+. The enzyme was inhibited by Zn2+, Fe2+, Hg2+, and sulfhydryl blockers such as 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, and iodoacetate, apparently due to their reaction with one out of six titratable sulfhydryl groups per mole of acrosin. Probably Zn2+ is involved in acrosomal stabilization. The initial rabbit acrosin (Mr = 68,000) appears to be the major and most stable form, and is generated from proacrosin with little structural alteration. This may be the functionally active form which plays an essential role in mammalian fertilization.     

Studies on ram acrosin. Isolation from spermatozoa, activation by cations and organic solvents, and influence of cations on its reaction with inhibitors

1. A simple method is given for isolating from ram spermatozoa a water-soluble form of acrosin (a trypsin-like enzyme) which is about 25% pure. It is free from an acrosin inhibitor which is located in the spermatozoa. 2. In the hydrolysis of N-alpha-benzoyl-l-arginine ethyl ester the degree of activation of acrosin by Ca(2+), and by some other cations, is dependent on the extent of contamination by the inhibitor. In 50mm-Tris-HCl buffer (pH8.2) activation by Ca(2+) did not exceed 40%, but acrosin that is partially inhibited may be activated by up to 300%: this is due to cation-mediated protection of acrosin against the inhibitor. 3. Increasing concentrations of buffers (e.g. Tris) also activate acrosin but at above certain buffer concentrations Ca(2+) no longer exerts an activating effect and may become inhibitory. Ca(2+) is also inhibitory when added to assay systems involving anionic buffers with chelating properties. This is due to a fall in pH. 4. The above results suggest reasons for conflicting conclusions in papers dealing with the effects of Ca(2+) on acrosin activity. 5. Inhibition of acrosin by the Kunitz pancreatic trypsin inhibitor is increased on addition of Ca(2+). Inhibitions of trypsin by the acrosin inhibitor and by the Kunitz inhibitor are insensitive to Ca(2+). 6. Like trypsin, acrosin is activated, up to 60%, by 2-methyl-propan-2-ol, dimethyl sulphoxide, and some other water-miscible solvents. Effects of cations and solvents tend to be additive and a common maximum acrosin activity can be achieved with various concentrations of solvent, salts and buffer in the assay system. Activation by solvents is increased when low concentrations of the acrosin inhibitor are present. 7. Activations of acrosin by salts and by solvents are more pronounced when the substrate is N-alpha-benzoyl-dl-arginine 2-naphthylamide. 8. K(m) values for ram acrosin (about 0.2mm) are much higher than those for trypsin, and k(cat.) values are slightly higher than those for trypsin. Considerations of the influences of ions and dimethyl sulphoxide on the activities and kinetic constants of acrosin and trypsin suggest that conformational changes are the factors mainly responsible for the reported activations of acrosin. 9. The following conclusions are reached. (a) Acrosin plays a role in the penetration of the sperm cell into the egg without becoming detached from the acrosomal membrane. (b) The enzyme is a peripheral membrane protein which may be classed as a cathepsin. (c) The susceptibility of the activity of soluble acrosin to cations and solvents points to a flexible molecule, i.e. one lacking conformational restraints imposed by association (presumably ionic) with the acrosomal membrane.     

Influence of boar acrosin antibodies produced in rabbit and sheep on chymotrypsinogen activation catalyzed by acrosin from boar, bull, ram, rabbkt and human.

Activation of bovine chymotrypsinogen is catalyzed with increasing velocity by human, rabbit, boar, bull and ram acrosin. Antiboar-acrosin rabbit gamma-globulins cause a significant reduction in the proenzyme activation rate induced by boar and bull acrosin, but only a weak reduction or none if ram or rabbit acrosin is the activating agent. The antiboar-acrosin gamma-globulins from sheep strongly inhibit chymotrypsinogen activation by ram, bull and boar acrosin, and significantly inhibit the human acrosin-catalyzed reaction.     

Effects of acrosin inhibitors on the soluble and membrane-bound forms of ram acrosin, and a reappraisal of the role of the enzyme in fertilization.

When denuded ram spermatozoa were suspended in weakly buffered 0.25M sucrose, the acrosin remained bound to the acrosomal membranes of the sperm heads. Media containing CaCl2 caused complete solubilization of the enzyme. Effects of acrosin inhibitors on soluble and bound enzyme were studied in Tris HCl(pH 8.2) containing sucrose. Denuded spermatozoa were used as a preparation of bound acrosin. Trasylol (Kunitz basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor) acted more strongly on bound scrosin than on soluble acrosin, but soya-bean trypsin inhibitor acted more strongly on soluble acrosin. At concentrations 0.5 - 2.0muM, the inhibitors isolated from ram acrosomes and from ram seminal plasma inhibited soluble acrosin but had negligible effects on bound acrosin. However, bound acrosin was sensitive to high concentrations of the acrosomal inhibitor. The two forms of acrosin were inhibited to about the same degree by p-aminobenzamidine and also by Tos-Lys-CH2Cl. It is proposed that membrane-bound acrosin is the form that functions in penetration of the zona pellucida, and that a role for acrosin inhibitors is suppression of an antifertility effect of soluble acrosin on mammalian eggs. This hypothesis is supported by 1) the results of work on the impaired fertilizing capacity of rabbit spermatozoa that have been treated with acrosin inhibitors, 2) the anti-fertility effects on hamster eggs of solutions of acrosin and of bovine trypsin, and 3) the results in this paper.     

Studies of three major proteases associated with guinea pig sperm acrosomes

The major proteases associated with guinea pig sperm were investigated by using immunological and electrophoretic techniques. Three major proteases were detected following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacryl-amide gel electrophoresis in gels containing 0.1% gelatin. These enzymes had molecular weights of 47,000, 34,000, and 32,000 relative to reduced protein standards and 58,500, 40,000, and 37,500 relative to unreduced standards. All three protease activities were present in acid extracts of sperm, detergent extracts of sperm, and the soluble acrosomal components of sperm released following induction of the acrosome reaction with the Ca2+-ionophore A23187. As determined by indirect immunofluorescence, an antibody to purified boar acrosin specifically cross-reacted with the acrosomes of guinea pig sperm. Decreased fluorescence was associated with sperm that had lost their acrosomes. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that this antibody reacted with the 47,000 Mr protease but not the 32,000 and 34,000 Mr proteases. All three proteases were maximally active in the pH 7.0-8.5 region and were inhibited by classical inhibitors of acrosin activity. During a 3-hour incubation period, MgCl2 (10 mM) inhibited the activities of the 32,000 and 34,000 Mr proteases while the 47,000 Mr protease was stimulated. Although these proteases shared properties that would classify them as trypsin-like proteases, only the 47,000 Mr protease could be definitely classified as a member of the proacrosin-acrosin family based upon cross-reaction with an antibody to purified boar acrosin.     

Gossypol inhibition of acrosin and proacrosin, and oocyte penetration by human spermatozoa

Gossypol, a known antispermatogenic agent, was found to effectively inhibit the highly purified boar sperm proacrosin-acrosin proteinase enzyme system by irreversibly preventing the autoproteolytic conversion of proacrosin to acrosin and reversibly inhibiting acrosin activity. The agent appears to prevent the self-catalyzed by not the acrosin-catalyzed activation of proacrosin. In additional experiments, brief exposure of human semen to concentrations of gossypol, which did not visibly alter spermatozoal motility or forward progression, was found to irreversibly inhibit the conversion of proacrosin to acrosin although the activity of the nonzymogen acrosin was not decreased, and also to prevent the human spermatozoa from penetrating denuded hamster oocytes. Gossypol inhibition of proacrosin conversion to acrosin closely paralleled the decline in oocyte penetration. Racemic (+/-) gossypol was equally as effective as the enantiomer (+) gossypol. The results suggest that the inhibition of proacrosin conversion to acrosin is a mechanism by which gossypol exerts its antifertility effect at nonspermicidal concentrations and that low levels of gossypol should be tested for their contraceptive action when placed vaginally.     

Boar acrosin digestion of the porcine egg coat, zona pellucida, and rearrangement of the zona proteins

Mechanically isolated, structurally intact porcine zonae pellucidae composed of three families of glycoproteins (PZP1-3) were digested with purified boar acrosin, and then the solublized and unsolubilized fractions were separately analyzed by HPLC and/or SDS-PAGE. In isotonic solution, PZP1 was first degraded and then PZP2, whereas PZP3 was quite resistant to acrosin, reflecting the organization of these families in the zona structure. As the proteolytic hydrolysis proceeded, high-molecular-weight products appeared in the unsolubilized fraction. These products disintegrated on treatment with beta-mercapto-ethanol. The zona materials solubilized by acrosin were separated into seven fractions by reverse phase HPLC. The total yield of the latter was only about 5% by weight. Thus, limited sites of the porcine zona were cleaved by the homologous sperm acrosin. Since five fractions contained peptides that were more hydrophilic than the original proteins, these peptides seemed likely to be present on the outer surface of the zona structure. SDS-PAGE of the unsolubilized fraction showed that acrosin cleaved the zona at many more sites in hypotonic solution than in isotonic solution. Thus, structural relaxation of the inner region of the zona was indicated to be induced under hypotonic conditions. However, no high-molecular-weight products were formed in hypotonic solution, suggesting that the native architecture of the zona is a prerequisite for their formation.     

Caprine acrosin. Purification, characterization and proteolysis of the porcine zona pellucida.

Acrosin purified from an acidic extract of ejaculated goat spermatozoa migrated as a single 42,000-Mr band in SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Reduction and alkylation of caprine acrosin produced two polypeptides, one of Mr 40,000 (heavy chain) and the other of Mr 3700 (light chain). The light chain purified by reversed-phase h.p.l.c. was a glycosylated octadecapeptide with an amino acid sequence similar to that of the N-terminal 18 residues of porcine acrosin light chain (78% positional identity). The sequence of the N-terminal 37 amino acids of purified caprine acrosin heavy chain is similar to that of porcine acrosin heavy chain (70% positional identity through 37 residues). Studies with synthetic substrates and synthetic and natural proteinase inhibitors confirmed both the specificity of the purified proteinase for Arg-Xaa and Lys-Xaa bonds and a serine-proteinase mechanism. Purified caprine acrosin hydrolysed the 90 kDa and 65 kDa components, but did not hydrolyse the 55 kDa component of the porcine zona pellucida. The action of the enzyme on the porcine zona pellucida was indistinguishable from that previously reported for porcine acrosin.     

Quantification and partial characterization of the hamster sperm proacrosin-acrosin system

The proacrosin-acrosin proteinase system was measured and partially characterized in unpurified extracts of washed hamster epididymal sperm. Autoactivation experiments demonstrated that proacrosin accounted for greater than 98% of the acrosin activity in the sperm extracts from individual animals. Several bands of proteinase activity were observed on gelatin-sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic (gelatin-SDS-PAGE) zymography. The major proteinase activities in the nonactivated extracts corresponded to relative molecular masses (Mr) of 51,000 to 56,000, while less distinct digestion occurred with relative molecular masses of 37,000 to 49,000. It was demonstrated that after a serial dilution of the sperm extract, the proteinase activity in as few as 6,000 sperm could readily be detected by the gelatin-SDS-PAGE methods. Time-course activation studies showed that the zymogen was completely converted to active proteinase in 45-60 min at pH 8.0 and 25 degrees C. This autoconversion process was markedly inhibited by calcium, sodium, and heparin. However, each of these compounds stimulated the proteolytic activity of acrosin. These studies demonstrate that the proacrosin-acrosin system can be investigated in extracts of nonpurified hamster epididymal sperm.     

Rabbit testis proacrosin: Immunological similarities between testis,sperm proacrosins and the initially formed testis acrosin

Anti-rabbit proacrosin IgG was prepared from goat serum following immunization with a homogeneous preparation of rabbit testis proacrosin. The “auto-activation” products of purified testis proacrosin were separated into 68,000 and 34,000 molecular weight (mol wt) acrosins by Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. Immunodiffusion analysis of testis and epididymal sperm proacrosins and acrosins on agarose gel against goat anti-rabbit testis proacrosin showed immunological identity between rabbit testis and sperm proacrosins and the initial testis acrosin (mol wt 68,000). However, the 34,000 mol wt form of testis acrosin showed weaker reaction with the antibody and only partial identity with the proacrosin and the 68,000 mol wt form of acrosin. These results suggest that there is no major structural difference between testis and sperm proacrosins and between proacrosin and the 68,000 mol wt acrosin, but such a structual change occurs when the 34,000 mol wt acrosin is formed.     

The specificity of two proteinases that cleave adjacent to arginine, C1 esterase and acrosin, for peptide p-nitroanilide substrates

Relative values of Vmax/Km for hydrolysis of 40 peptide p-nitroanilides catalyzed by human Cl-s and human acrosin are reported. For Cl-s, Ac-Lys(gamma Cbz)-Gly-Arg is the optimum sequence, but 25% of the substrates have (Vmax/Km)rel greater than 0.25 compared to this sequence. The best acrosin substrate tested has the sequence Tos-Gly-Pro-Arg, although (Vmax/Km)rel greater than 0.15 for more than half of the substrates. Proline at P2 is preferred by acrosin. Both enzymes prefer arginine at P1 greater than or equal to 3-fold over lysine and will not accept citrulline. In addition, occupancy of site S3 may yield an increase in Vmax/Km of greater than or equal to 10-fold with either enzyme, but many residues are accepted at S2, S3 and S4. Thus, an acrosin assay using Tos-Gly-Pro-Arg p-nitroanilide as a substrate is more than 20-times as sensitive as existing assays with blocked arginine derivatives.     

Monoclonal antibodies to bovine and human acrosin

Monoclonal antibodies to human acrosin were required for studies of immunological interference with fertilization. Since human acrosin was not available in adequate amounts, monoclonal antibodies have been raised in mice against purified bovine acrosin and screened for cross-reaction with human sperm cells. Two of these antibodies are described, B4F6 and C2E5. Data from enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunoblots, immunoprecipitation, and indirect immunofluorescence on sperm cells indicate that B4F6 binds only to bovine acrosin, and that C2E5 binds both to bovine and to human acrosin at a conformationally determined epitope. The antibodies do not inhibit the hydrolysis of benzoylarginine ethyl ester by acrosin, but C2E5 did inhibit the dissolution of the hamster zona pellucida by purified human acrosin. The antibodies have also been used for affinity purification of acrosin and proacrosin.     

Matrix degrading properties of sperm serine proteinase, acrosin.

The serine proteinase acrosin plays an important role in sperm penetration of the zona pellucida. In the present study we investigated the effect of the enzyme on various matrix proteins. Acrosin degraded proteolytically fibronectin, type IV collagen and heat denatured type I collagen, whereas neither native type I collagen nor laminin were cleaved by the enzyme. The specific activity of acrosin with type IV collagen as substrate (66.6 g/h/g) was 125-fold higher than that of known type IV collagenase or stromelysin. These results suggest that acrosin may act as a matrix-degrading proteinase.     

Acrosin,the peculiar sperm-specific serine protease

Summary The sperm enzyme acrosin has long been known as one of the key enzymes in the mammalian fertilization process. Elucidation of primary structures of preproacrosin from various species have allowed a deeper insight into the structural organization and the complex evolution of the sperm proteinase acrosin. In addition to the typical elements of serine proteases, the acrosin molecule possesses one novel domain that might convey DNA-binding properties.