Question

Which set of enzymes is found in the acrosome of mammalian spermatozoa?
A. Hyaluronidase, Corona Penetrating Enzyme (CPE)
B. Hyaluronidase, CPE, Zona lysine
C. Hyaluronidase, CPE, Peptidase
D. Hyaluronidase only

Answer 1

Hint: The Spermatozoa is the male gametes present in mammals. It is generally known as sperm. Its body consists of a head, a mitochondrial center part, and a tail. The head consists of various lysing enzymes that are required to enter the female egg so as to fertilize it.

Complete answer: In sexual reproduction, the fusion of male and female gamete results in the production of the zygote that grows to become an individual. The male and female gametes have their special characteristics. The male gamete or the sperm referred to as spermatozoa is a motile minute cell that is produced by male sexual glands.
-The Sertoli cells in the testes of the males produce spermatozoa that are released into the saline medium. After this, the spermatozoa undergo various activation stages and attain a state where it acquires essential substances required to swim and survive. The body of sperm consists of a cap called acrosome having enzymes packed in it in the head portion, a mitochondrial center part, and a tail.

-The female gamete or the egg at the time of fertilization state consists of various layers. The sperm or spermatozoa need to penetrate these layers to fertilize the egg. This completes the diploid set of chromosomes required in the resulting zygote. The egg cell is much bigger than the spermatozoa. The sperm first needs to enter the outermost protective layer of the egg called corona radiata. After this, the sperm should penetrate the outer membrane that covers the egg cytoplasm called zona pellucida.
-The corona radiata consists of hyaluronan that is digested by the hyaluronidase enzyme. The rest of the digestion of corona radiata is done by corona penetrating enzymes. At last, the zona lysine enzyme lyses the zona pellucida layer through which the male gamete nucleus enters the female gamete.
Thus, option B is correct.

Note: The spermatozoa are very fragile cells. They need lots of energy and nutrients to survive and to reach the female egg. Thus, they are supplied by various nutritious factors, including fructose and some glycoproteins. Millions of spermatozoa race towards the female egg, but only one fuse with the egg leading to fertilization, the rest dies.