Ascidian sperm chymotrypsin-like enzyme; participation in fertilization.

The action of a chymotrypsin-like enzyme from sperm extract from the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi was studied using several substrates. It was found that the most susceptible substrate had the most powerful inhibitory effect on fertilization in this animal. Among the substrates, the order of susceptibility coincided with the order of inhibitory ability, which indicates that the enzyme is involved in the fertilization process.