Reactome | Interaction With Cumulus Cells And The Zona Pellucida

Interaction With Cumulus Cells And The Zona Pellucida

Stable Identifier

R-HSA-2534343

Type

Pathway

Species

Homo sapiens

Compartment

extracellular region

ReviewStatus

5/5

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Interaction With Cumulus Cells And The Zona Pellucida

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A typical mammalian egg is surrounded by an outer layer of about 3,000 cumulus cells embedded in an extracellular matrix rich in hyaluronic acid. It is suggested that the fertilizing sperm with it's acrosome intact, passes through the cumulus cell layer. The zona pellucida (ZP), a glycoproteinaceous matrix surrounding the mammalian oocyte plays an important role in species specific sperm-egg binding, induction of acrosome reaction in the ZP bound spermatozoa, avoidance of polyspermy and protection of the embryo prior to implantation. The human ZP matrix is composed of 4 glycoproteins designated as ZP1, ZP2, ZP3 and ZP4.

Literature References

PubMed ID	Title	Journal	Year
20364096	Fertilization: a sperm's journey to and interaction with the oocyte Ikawa, M, Inoue, N, Benham, AM, Okabe, M	J Clin Invest	2010
8195297	A hyaluronidase activity of the sperm plasma membrane protein PH-20 enables sperm to penetrate the cumulus cell layer surrounding the egg Lin, Y, Mahan, K, Lathrop, WF, Myles, DG, Primakoff, P	J Cell Biol	1994