Localization of cortical granule lectin ligand in Xenopus laevis egg jelly

The block to polyspermy in Xenopus laevis involves an interaction between a cortical granule lectin, released at fertilization, and a ligand located in the egg extracellular matrix. The egg extracellular matrix in X. laevis consists of a vitelline envelope and three distinct jelly layers, designated J1, J2 and J3. To localize cortical granule lectin ligand in the egg extracellular matrix, we used enzyme-linked lectin assays that showed that cortical granule lectin ligands were absent in J2, J3 and the vitelline envelope. Cortical granule lectin bound to a ligand(s) in J1 in a galactose-dependent fashion. In addition, we separated egg jelly macromolecules electrophoretically and, in conjunction with western blotting, have shown that J1 contains two major, high molecular weight ligands for cortical granule ligand. Finally, using confocal microscopy, we demonstrated that the ligand(s) for cortical granule lectin occupies a 20–30 μm thick band in a region of J1 just proximal to the vitelline envelope.