Zona pellucida sperm-binding protein 4, ZP-4 or avilesine, named after its discoverer Manuel Avilés Sánchez[3] is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ZP4gene.[4][5]
The zona pellucida is an extracellular matrix that surrounds the oocyte and early embryo. It is composed primarily of three or four glycoproteins with various functions during fertilization and preimplantation development. The nascent protein contains a N-terminalsignal peptide sequence, a conserved zona pellucida-like domain, a consensus furin cleavage site, and a C-terminal transmembrane domain. It is hypothesized that furin cleavage results in release of the mature protein from the plasma membrane for subsequent incorporation into the zona pellucida matrix. However, the requirement for furin cleavage in this process remains controversial based on mouse studies.
Previously, this gene has been referred to as ZP1 or ZPB and thought to have similar functions as mouse Zp1.[6] However, a human gene with higher similarity and chromosomal synteny to mouse Zp1 has been assigned the symbol ZP1 and this gene has been assigned the symbol ZP4.[5]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Avilés M, Moros C, García-Vázquez FA, Gimeno L, Torrecillas A, Aliaga C, Bernardo-Pisa MV, Ballesta J, Izquierdo-Rico MJ (April 2015). "Four glycoproteins are expressed in the cat zona pellucida". Theriogenology. 83 (7): 1162–73. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2014.12.019. PMID25623231.
^Harris JD, Hibler DW, Fontenot GK, Hsu KT, Yurewicz EC, Sacco AG (Mar 1995). "Cloning and characterization of zona pellucida genes and cDNAs from a variety of mammalian species: the ZPA, ZPB and ZPC gene families". DNA Sequence. 4 (6): 361–93. doi:10.3109/10425179409010186. PMID7841460.
Eberspaecher U, Becker A, Bringmann P, van der Merwe L, Donner P (Feb 2001). "Immunohistochemical localization of zona pellucida proteins ZPA, ZPB and ZPC in human, cynomolgus monkey and mouse ovaries". Cell and Tissue Research. 303 (2): 277–87. doi:10.1007/s004410000287. PMID11291774. S2CID20736190.