# Acrosome

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Organelle of sperm cells

Diagram of a human spermatozoa showing the acrosome

The **acrosome** is an [organelle](/source/Organelle) that develops over the [anterior](/source/Anterior) (front) half of the head in the [spermatozoa](/source/Spermatozoon) (sperm cells) of humans and many other animals. It is a cap-like structure derived from the [Golgi apparatus](/source/Golgi_apparatus). In [placental mammals](/source/Placental_mammal), the acrosome contains degradative [enzymes](/source/Enzyme) (including [hyaluronidase](/source/Hyaluronidase) and [acrosin](/source/Acrosin)).[1] These enzymes break down the outer membrane of the [ovum](/source/Ovum),[2] called the [zona pellucida](/source/Zona_pellucida), allowing the [haploid](/source/Haploid) [nucleus](/source/Cell_nucleus) in the sperm cell to join with the haploid nucleus in the ovum. This shedding of the acrosome, known as the [acrosome reaction](/source/Acrosome_reaction), can be stimulated *[in vitro](/source/In_vitro)* by substances that a sperm cell may encounter naturally, such as [progesterone](/source/Progesterone)[3] or [follicular fluid](/source/Follicular_fluid), as well as the more commonly used calcium [ionophore](/source/Ionophore) A23187.[4] This can be done to serve as a positive control when assessing the acrosome reaction of a sperm sample by [flow cytometry](/source/Flow_cytometry)[5] or [fluorescence microscopy](/source/Fluorescence_microscope). This is usually done after staining with a fluoresceinated [lectin](/source/Lectin) such as FITC-PNA, FITC-PSA, FITC-ConA, or fluoresceinated antibody such as FITC-CD46.[6]

In the case of [globozoospermia](/source/Globozoospermia) (sperm with round heads), the [Golgi apparatus](/source/Golgi_apparatus) is not transformed into the *acrosome*, causing [male infertility](/source/Male_infertility).[7]

## See also

- [Acroplaxome](/source/Acroplaxome)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["acrosome definition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090214025038/http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861695331). Archived from [the original](https://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861695331) on 2009-02-14. Retrieved 2007-08-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Larson, Jennine L.; Miller, David J. (1999). "Simple histochemical stain for acrosomes on sperm from several species". *Molecular Reproduction and Development*. **52** (4): 445–449. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199904)52:4<445::AID-MRD14>3.0.CO;2-6](https://doi.org/10.1002%2F%28SICI%291098-2795%28199904%2952%3A4%3C445%3A%3AAID-MRD14%3E3.0.CO%3B2-6). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1098-2795](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1098-2795). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [10092125](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10092125). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [24542696](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:24542696).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Lishko, Polina V.; Botchkina, Inna L.; Kirichok, Yuriy (March 2011). ["Progesterone activates the principal Ca 2+ channel of human sperm"](https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09767). *Nature*. **471** (7338): 387–391. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2011Natur.471..387L](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011Natur.471..387L). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/nature09767](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature09767). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1476-4687](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1476-4687). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [21412339](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21412339). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [4340309](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:4340309).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Jamil, K.; White, I. G. (December 1981). "Induction of acrosomal reaction in sperm with ionophore A23187 and calcium". *Archives of Andrology*. **7** (4): 283–292. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3109/01485018108999319](https://doi.org/10.3109%2F01485018108999319). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0148-5016](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0148-5016). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [6797354](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6797354).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Miyazaki R, Fukuda M, Takeuchi H, Itoh S, Takada M (1990). ["Flow cytometry to evaluate acrosome-reacted sperm"](https://doi.org/10.3109%2F01485019008987613). *Arch. Androl*. **25** (3): 243–51. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3109/01485019008987613](https://doi.org/10.3109%2F01485019008987613). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [2285347](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2285347).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Carver-Ward JA, Moran-Verbeek IM, Hollanders JM (February 1997). ["Comparative flow cytometric analysis of the human sperm acrosome reaction using CD46 antibody and lectins"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3454831). *J. Assist. Reprod. Genet*. **14** (2): 111–9. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/bf02765780](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fbf02765780). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [3454831](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3454831). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [9048242](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9048242).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Hermann Behre; Eberhard Nieschlag (2000). *Andrology : Male Reproductive Health and Dysfunction*. Berlin: Springer. p. 155. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3-540-67224-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-540-67224-9).

v t e Structures of the cell and organelles Endomembrane system Cell membrane Nucleus Endoplasmic reticulum Golgi apparatus Parenthesome Autophagosome Vesicle Exosome Lysosome Endosome Phagosome Vacuole Acrosome Cytoplasmic granule Melanosome Microbody Glyoxysome Peroxisome Weibel–Palade body Cytoskeleton Microfilament Intermediate filament Microtubule Prokaryotic cytoskeleton Microtubule organizing center Centrosome Centriole Basal body Spindle pole body Myofibril Undulipodium Cilium Flagellum Axoneme Radial spoke Pseudopodium Lamellipodium Filopodium Endosymbionts Mitochondria Plastid Chloroplast Chromoplast Gerontoplast Leucoplast Amyloplast Elaioplast Proteinoplast Tannosome Apicoplast Nitroplast Other internal Nucleolus RNA Ribosome Spliceosome Vault Biomolecular condensate Cytoplasm Cytosol Inclusions Proteasome Magnetosome External Cell wall Extracellular matrix

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Acrosome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrosome) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrosome?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.