Changes in Specific Sperm Proteins During Epididymal Maturation

Mammalian spermatozoa that leave the testis do not have the ability to recognize and fertilize an egg; they require a maturation process that takes place while they are passing through the epididymis. Transit through this organ confers on sperm the capacity for vigorous motility, and the ability to become capacitated, undergo the acrosome reaction, interact with the zona pellucida (ZP), and bind to and fuse with the egg plasma membrane (Cooper, 1986; Bedford, 1990; Yanagimachi, 1994).