Speract (CAS 76901-59-2)

Speract is a peptide hormone found in sea urchin sperm and is involved in the process of fertilization. Research on Speract has predominantly focused on its role in sperm-egg interactions and fertilization mechanisms. Mechanistically, Speract acts as a chemoattractant and acrosome reaction inducer, guiding sperm towards the egg and facilitating the fusion of sperm and egg membranes. Studies have explaind the specific receptor for Speract on the egg membrane, known as the Speract receptor, which triggers intracellular signaling cascades leading to changes in egg membrane potential and the release of egg-derived chemoattractants. Furthermore, Speract has been investigated for its structural features and binding kinetics to better understand its interaction with the egg membrane receptor and its specificity for sea urchin sperm. In research settings, Speract has been utilized as a tool to study the molecular mechanisms underlying sperm-egg recognition and fusion, offering insights into the fundamental processes of fertilization. Additionally, Speract analogs and inhibitors have been developed based on its structure, which could be valuable for manipulating sperm-egg interactions in experimental models and potentially for understanding fertilization in other species. Overall, Speract serves as a crucial research tool in reproductive biology, contributing to our understanding of the molecular events governing fertilization.