A conserved fertilization complex of Izumo1, Spaca6, and Tmem81 mediates sperm-egg interaction in vertebrates

Abstract

Fertilization, the fusion of sperm and egg, is essential for sexual reproduction. While several proteins have been demonstrated to be essential for the binding and fusion of gametes in vertebrates, the molecular mechanisms driving this key process are poorly understood. Here, we performed a protein interaction screen using AlphaFold-Multimer to uncover protein-protein interactions in fertilization. This screen resulted in the prediction of a trimeric complex composed of the essential fertilization factors Izumo1 and Spaca6, and Tmem81, a protein previously not implicated in fertilization. We show that Tmem81 is a conserved, testis-expressed transmembrane protein that is evolutionarily related to Izumo1 and Spaca6 and is essential for male fertility in fish and mice. Consistent with trimer formation in vivo, zebrafish izumo1-/-, spaca6-/-, and tmem81-/- mutants exhibit the same sperm-egg binding defect and show co-depletion of all three proteins in sperm. Moreover, we provide experimental evidence that Izumo1, Spaca6, and Tmem81 interact in zebrafish sperm. Strikingly, the Izumo1-Spaca6 interaction is predicted to form a cleft that serves as a binding site for Bouncer, the only identified egg protein essential for fertilization in zebrafish. Together, these results provide compelling evidence for a conserved sperm factor complex in vertebrates that forms a specific interface for the sperm-egg interaction required for successful fertilization.