Sea Urchin Study Identifies Key to Conception

Researchers studying sea urchins have identified for the first time the protein that allows a sperm to unite with an egg to create a new life, and the finding could lead to new birth control methods for humans, an expert said Thursday.

Dr. William Lennarz, a professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, said he and his colleagues “have identified the molecule on the surface of the egg that is the guidance system for the sperm.” The protein enables the sperm to recognize an egg and fuse to it.

A report on the study is to be published today in the journal Science.

The researcher said that although it is a great leap from a sea urchin to a human being, the discovery could lead to a new form of birth control for humans.

He said that if such a protein can be found on the surface of a human egg, then science possibly could create an antibody that would prevent a sperm from fusing with an egg, thus creating a birth control method that works at a molecular level.

On the other hand, he said, science could also use the same knowledge to perhaps solve some problems that now prevent couples from having children.

“A lot of the basic information now used in human infertility treatment technology came from basic work with the sea urchin,” Lennarz said.

Working with Lennarz in the study were Jacqueline S. Partin of SUNY, Stony Brook, and Kathleen R. Foltz of UC Santa Barbara.