| First Author | Takezawa Y | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Sci Rep | Volume | 1 |
| Pages | 68 | PubMed ID | 22355587 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:206123 | Mgi Id | MGI:5547911 |
| Doi | 10.1038/srep00068 | Citation | Takezawa Y, et al. (2011) beta-catenin is a molecular switch that regulates transition of cell-cell adhesion to fusion. Sci Rep 1:68 |
| abstractText | When a sperm and an oocyte unite upon fertilization, their cell membranes adhere and fuse, but little is known about the factors regulating sperm-oocyte adhesion. Here we explored the role of beta-catenin in sperm-oocyte adhesion. Biochemical analysis revealed that E-cadherin and beta-catenin formed a complex in oocytes and also in sperm. Sperm-oocyte adhesion was impaired when beta-catenin-deficient oocytes were inseminated with sperm. Furthermore, expression of beta-catenin decreased from the sperm head and the site of an oocyte to which a sperm adheres after completion of sperm-oocyte adhesion. UBE1-41, an inhibitor of ubiquitin-activating enzyme 1, inhibited the degradation of beta-catenin, and reduced the fusing ability of wild-type (but not beta-catenin-deficient) oocytes. These results indicate that beta-catenin is not only involved in membrane adhesion, but also in the transition to membrane fusion upon fertilization. |
