The new protein could prove vital in helping doctors better understand infertility and develop new treatments.
An international scientific team has discovered a new protein, named after the ancient Greek name MAIA, which, found on the surface of the egg, helps the sperm unite with the egg.
The discovery could lead to improved fertility treatments, the development of a new type of contraceptive, as well as new tests to investigate whether a man’s sperm are unable to “attach” to the protein in question, or whether a woman’s eggs lack MAI on the surface their.
Infertility is unexplained in at least half of the people who cannot conceive normally. The new protein could prove vital in helping doctors better understand infertility and develop new treatments.
The researchers, led by Professor Harry Moore of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sheffield in the UK, who made the relevant publication in the journal “Science Advances”, used artificial eggs to test different proteins (peptides) that make it easier for sperm to “bind”. with the eggs.
After MAIA was identified, the gene corresponding to it was introduced into cultured human cells and they became receptive to sperm in exactly the same way as in the normal process of fertilization. It was thus confirmed that MAIA is responsible for the attraction of the sperm towards the egg.
“What we know about fertility in humans is quite limited due to ethical concerns and the lack of sufficient eggs for research. The new innovative artificial insemination technique allowed us to identify the MAIA protein, which will not only allow scientists to better understand the mechanisms of human fertility, but will also pave the way for new ways to treat infertility and revolutionize the design of future contraceptives,” said Dr. Moore.
The findings may also help confirm the theory that some sperm may not be compatible with some eggs. It is already planned to investigate whether different people’s sperm “attach” differently to MAIA.
RES-EMP
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