SPAM1 explained

Hyaluronidase PH-20 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the SPAM1 gene.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Hyaluronidase degrades hyaluronic acid, a major structural proteoglycan found in extracellular matrices and basement membranes. Six members of the hyaluronidase family are clustered into two tightly linked groups on chromosome 3p21.3 and 7q31.3. This gene was previously referred to as HYAL1 and HYA1 and has since been assigned the official symbol SPAM1; another family member on chromosome 3p21.3 has been assigned HYAL1. This gene encodes a GPI-anchored enzyme located on the human sperm surface and inner acrosomal membrane. This multifunctional protein is a hyaluronidase that enables sperm to penetrate through the hyaluronic acid-rich cumulus cell layer surrounding the oocyte, a receptor that plays a role in hyaluronic acid induced cell signaling, and a receptor that is involved in sperm-zona pellucida adhesion. Abnormal expression of this gene in tumors has implicated this protein in degradation of basement membranes leading to tumor invasion and metastasis. Multiple protein isoforms are encoded by transcript variants of this gene.

Further reading

• Jansen S, Ekhlasi-Hundrieser M, Töpfer-Petersen E . Sperm adhesion molecules: structure and function. . Cells Tissues Organs (Print) . 168 . 1–2 . 82–92 . 2001 . 11114590 . 10.1159/000016809 . 20490883 .
• Csoka AB, Frost GI, Stern R . The six hyaluronidase-like genes in the human and mouse genomes. . Matrix Biol. . 20 . 8 . 499–508 . 2002 . 11731267 . 10.1016/S0945-053X(01)00172-X .
• Cherr GN, Yudin AI, Overstreet JW . The dual functions of GPI-anchored PH-20: hyaluronidase and intracellular signaling. . Matrix Biol. . 20 . 8 . 515–25 . 2002 . 11731269 . 10.1016/S0945-053X(01)00171-8 .
• Lathrop WF, Carmichael EP, Myles DG, Primakoff P . cDNA cloning reveals the molecular structure of a sperm surface protein, PH-20, involved in sperm-egg adhesion and the wide distribution of its gene among mammals. . J. Cell Biol. . 111 . 6 Pt 2 . 2939–49 . 1991 . 2269661 . 10.1083/jcb.111.6.2939 . 2116349 .
• Lin Y, Mahan K, Lathrop WF, etal . A hyaluronidase activity of the sperm plasma membrane protein PH-20 enables sperm to penetrate the cumulus cell layer surrounding the egg. . J. Cell Biol. . 125 . 5 . 1157–63 . 1994 . 8195297 . 10.1083/jcb.125.5.1157 . 2120058 .
• Lin Y, Kimmel LH, Myles DG, Primakoff P . Molecular cloning of the human and monkey sperm surface protein PH-20. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 90 . 21 . 10071–5 . 1993 . 8234258 . 10.1073/pnas.90.21.10071 . 47715 . 1993PNAS...9010071L . free .
• Csóka AB, Scherer SW, Stern R . Expression analysis of six paralogous human hyaluronidase genes clustered on chromosomes 3p21 and 7q31. . Genomics . 60 . 3 . 356–61 . 1999 . 10493834 . 10.1006/geno.1999.5876 .
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH, etal . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . 2002PNAS...9916899M . free .
• Scherer SW, Cheung J, MacDonald JR, etal . Human chromosome 7: DNA sequence and biology. . Science . 300 . 5620 . 767–72 . 2003 . 12690205 . 2882961 . 10.1126/science.1083423 . 2003Sci...300..767S .
• Hillier LW, Fulton RS, Fulton LA, etal . The DNA sequence of human chromosome 7. . Nature . 424 . 6945 . 157–64 . 2003 . 12853948 . 10.1038/nature01782 . 2003Natur.424..157H . free .
• Evans EA, Zhang H, Martin-DeLeon PA . SPAM1 (PH-20) protein and mRNA expression in the epididymides of humans and macaques: utilizing laser microdissection/RT-PCR. . Reprod. Biol. Endocrinol. . 1 . 1. 54 . 2004 . 12932297 . 10.1186/1477-7827-1-54 . 184449 . free .
• Dunn CA, Mager DL . Transcription of the human and rodent SPAM1 / PH-20 genes initiates within an ancient endogenous retrovirus. . BMC Genomics . 6 . 47 . 2006 . 15804358 . 10.1186/1471-2164-6-47 . 1079825 . free .

Notes and References

1. Gmachl M, Sagan S, Ketter S, Kreil G . The human sperm protein PH-20 has hyaluronidase activity . FEBS Lett . 336 . 3 . 545–8 . Feb 1994 . 8282124 . 10.1016/0014-5793(93)80873-S . 46082782 . free .
2. Jones MH, Davey PM, Aplin H, Affara NA . Expression analysis, genomic structure, and mapping to 7q31 of the human sperm adhesion molecule gene SPAM1 . Genomics . 29 . 3 . 796–800 . Mar 1996 . 8575780 . 10.1006/geno.1995.9931 .
3. Web site: Entrez Gene: SPAM1 sperm adhesion molecule 1 (PH-20 hyaluronidase, zona pellucida binding).