A
disintegrin and
metalloprotease 3, or ADAM3, belongs to a family of
peptidaseproteins referred to as ADAMs. Many of these are solely found in
spermatogeniccells, specifically in the anterior portion of capacitated spermatozoa heads. This membrane protein is critical for crucial steps in
fertilization such as migration of
sperm through the
uterus to the
oviduct as well as binding to the
zona pellucida. Inactivation of ADAM3 is a cause of male infertility.[1]
Numerous studies have detailed that in ADAM3 null mice, the
spermatozoa fail to migrate through the
utero-tubal junction. Furthermore, knockout of the closely related ADAM1a gene in mice, an
estrogen receptor not found in mature spermatozoa, causes loss of surface ADAM3 and decreased zona pellucida binding. Other studies have shown ADAM3-/- mouse spermatozoa fail to show sperm-sperm aggregation, although the significance of this is still unknown. ADAM3 has not yet been found in humans.