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Germ Cell Protocols pp 135–140Cite as

Acrosin Activity Assay for the Evaluation of Mammalian Sperm Acrosome Reaction

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Part of the Methods in Molecular Biology™ book series (MIMB,volume 253)

Abstract

The sperm acrosome reaction (AR) is an exocytotic event that involves multiple fusions between the outer acrosomal membrane and the overlying plasma membrane. It must occur before the spermatozoon penetrates the zona pellucida (ZP) (1). This exocytotic event is mandatory for fertilization because it enables passage of the sperm through the ZP and its subsequent fusion with the egg oolema. Many artificial stimuli are reported to trigger the AR, either by driving extracellular Ca2+ into the sperm cell (Ca2+ ionophores) or by acting through intracellular second messengers that are involved in the cascade leading to acrosomal exocytosis (2,3).

Keywords

  • Sperm Cell
  • Zona Pellucida
  • Acrosome Reaction
  • Artificial Stimulus
  • Sperm Acrosome Reaction

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Both contributed equally.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    *

    104 is the camera factor

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Israel

    Yehudit Lax, Sara Rubinstein & Haim Breitbart

Authors
  1. Yehudit Lax
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  2. Sara Rubinstein
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  3. Haim Breitbart
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, MO

    Heide Schatten

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© 2004 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Lax, Y., Rubinstein, S., Breitbart, H. (2004). Acrosin Activity Assay for the Evaluation of Mammalian Sperm Acrosome Reaction. In: Schatten, H. (eds) Germ Cell Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 253. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-744-0:135

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-744-0:135

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-121-9

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