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Glycobiology Advance Access originally published online on June 5, 2007
Glycobiology 2007 17(8):877-885; doi:10.1093/glycob/cwm058
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Expression of two different sulfated fucans by females of Lytechinus variegatus may regulate the seasonal variation in the fertilization of the sea urchin

Leonardo P Cinelli2,3,*, Michelle O Castro2,3,*, Livia L Santos2,3, Clarice R Garcia2,3, Ana-Cristina ES Vilela-Silva2,4 and Paulo AS Mourão1,2,3

2 Laboratório de Tecido Conjuntivo, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho
3 Programa de Glicobiologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica
4 Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Caixa Postal 68041, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-590, Brazil

1 To whom correspondence should be addressed; e-mail: pmourao{at}hucff.ufrj.br

Received on April 3, 2007; revised on May 15, 2007; accepted on May 23, 2007

The egg jellies of sea urchins contain sulfated polysaccharides with unusual structures, composed of linear chains of L-fucose or L-galactose with well-defined repetitive units. The specific pattern of sulfation and the position of the glycosidic bond vary among sulfated polysaccharides from different species. These polysaccharides show species specificity in inducing the acrosome reaction, which is a critical event for fertilization. Females of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus spawn eggs containing a sulfated fucan with the repetitive sequence [3-{alpha}-L-Fucp-2(OSO3)-1 -> 3-{alpha}-L-Fucp-4(OSO3)-1 -> 3-{alpha}-L-Fucp-2,4(OSO3)-1 -> 3-{alpha}-L-Fucp-2(OSO3)-1]n. We now observe that, close to winter, a period of decreased fertility for the sea urchin, the females synthesize a distinct sulfated fucan with a simple structure, composed of 4-sulfated, 3-linked {alpha}-fucose residues. This sulfated fucan is inactive when tested in vitro for the acrosome reaction using homologous sperm. The amount of egg jellies spawned by females (and their constituent sulfated polysaccharides) varied greatly throughout the year. Apparently, there is a correlation between the temperature of the sea water and the expression of the 4-sulfated, 3-linked sulfated fucan. Overall, we described the occurrence of two isotypes of sulfated fucan in the egg jelly of the sea urchin L. variegatus, which differ in their biological activity and may be involved in the periodicity of the reproductive cycle of the invertebrate.

Key words: acrosome reaction / egg jellies of sea urchins / reproductive cycle of echinoderms / sulfated polysaccharides

* These two authors contributed equally to the work.


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