2025-03-03 イェール大学
<関連情報>
- https://news.yale.edu/2025/03/03/scientists-discover-how-naturally-occurring-mechanism-hampers-fertility
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2425952122
自然界に存在する抗精子抗体OBF13によるIZUMO1-JUNO受精複合体のアロステリック阻害作用 Allosteric inhibition of the IZUMO1–JUNO fertilization complex by the naturally occurring antisperm antibody OBF13
Yonggang Lu, Masahito Ikawa, and Shaogeng Tang
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Published:March 5, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2425952122
Significance
In the United States, 9% of men and 11% of women of reproductive age experience fertility problems. Successful fertilization requires the proper recognition, adhesion, and fusion of sperm and an egg. Here, we show how a naturally occurring antisperm antibody OBF13, which targets sperm IZUMO1, can block murine fertilization. We provide structural and molecular mechanisms how OBF13 inhibits a critical conformational change of IZUMO1 and interferes with the IZUMO1–JUNO fertilization complex when sperm interact with eggs. Our findings suggest avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of immuno-infertility, as well as the development of immunocontraceptives.
Abstract
Sperm IZUMO1 binds to egg JUNO, and this interaction is essential for mammalian fertilization. Isolated from a female mouse immunized with syngeneic sperm, the antisperm antibody OBF13 recognizes IZUMO1 and inhibits murine fertilization. How OBF13 interferes with sperm–egg interactions was unknown. Here, we present the X-ray crystal structure of IZUMO1 in complex with OBF13. OBF13 binds to the apex of the four-helix domain of IZUMO1, distant from the JUNO-binding site. Our crystal structure of OBF13-bound IZUMO1 resembles apo-IZUMO1 and differs from the structure of IZUMO1 in complex with JUNO. We identify that OBF13 carries a low level of somatic hypermutation, and through deep mutational scanning, we engineer an affinity-enhanced OBF13 variant. This OBF13 variant single-chain fragment variable decreases the apparent affinity of IZUMO1 for membrane-bound murine JUNO and blocks the binding of acrosome-reacted sperm to eggs, thereby preventing fertilization. We propose allostery between the OBF13 epitope and the JUNO-binding site. OBF13 inhibits a conformational change in IZUMO1, preventing fusion-competent sperm from adhering to murine eggs during fertilization. Surprisingly, murine IZUMO1 binds to hamster JUNO with an affinity ~20-fold higher than to murine JUNO. The decreased affinity caused by OBF13 of murine IZUMO1 for hamster JUNO is sufficient for murine sperm to bind to and fuse with hamster eggs. Our studies provide a structural and mechanistic framework for species-specific, allosteric inhibition of IZUMO1 by a naturally occurring antisperm antibody and offer insights into the development of immunocontraceptives.
