Abstract:
Lectins were defined as proteins that recognize specific carbohydrate structures and agglutinate cells by binding to cell surface glycoproteins and glycoconjugates. Many kinds of different lectins have been purified from fish eggs.Lectins may have a variety of biological function in fish eggs,such as block of polyspermy,regulation of carbohydrates metabolism,participation in the formation of fertilization envelope after binding with glycoproteins,antibacterial effect and opsonization of pathogens. Therefore, lectins are important components in oocytes and play important roles. Cortical granules were as a kind of secretory vesicles that unique to oocyte. They are synthesized and accumulated during oogenesis,translocated to the cell surface before fertilization and exocytosed after fertilization. Cortical granule contents have diverse components,such as proteases and lectins,and play important roles in egg fertilization and early embryogenesis.