Inhibition of ovine in vitro fertilization by anti-Prt antibody: Hypothetical model for Prt/ZP interaction

• Authors: Baptista MC, Barbas JP, Cabrita E, Domingos A, Fontes CA, Horta EMA, Marques CC, Martins IC, Mesquita P, Pereira MLNR, Pessa P, Pimenta J, Prates AMJ, Sardinha J, Soares R, Viegas A
• Journal: Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology
• Link: http://www.rbej.com/content/11/1/25

The impact of prion proteins in the rules that dictate biological reproduction is still poorly understood. Likewise, the role of prnt gene, encoding the prion-like protein testis specific (Prt), in ram reproductive physiology remains largely unknown. In this study, we assessed the effect of Prt in ovine fertilization by using an anti-Prt antibody (APPA) in fertilization medium incubated with spermatozoa and oocytes. Moreover, a computational model was constructed to infer how the results obtained could be related to a hypothetical role for Prt in sperm-zona pellucida (ZP) binding.
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