Study on the Relationship of Epididymis-specific Protein and Sperm Function

Charactering the sperm specific proteins is to elucidate the function in the process of reproduction and to develop them as effective targets for reproductive regulation.Mammalian sperm after spermiogenisis in testis seminiferous tubules,although they are tadpole-like,are neither able to swim nor to fertilize the egg.Sperm must undergo modification in epididymis to be mature,which is called epididymal sperm maturation.This process mainly includes the sperm membrane protein modification.During sperm traveling through the epididymis tubes,some proteins are removed away,some are binding on,and some proteins are glycosylated or phosphorylated.Therefore,the identification of epididymal protein,especially the epididymal-specific protein,is one of the most important points to reveal the function of sperm.The function of epididymal-specific protein,especially on sperm maturation and sperm protection,is reviewed in this paper.