Special proteins – known as membrane transporters – are of key importance for the mobility of sperm cells. A research team with the aid of cryo-electron microscopy, for the first time succeeded in decoding the structure of such a transporter and its mechanism.
According to the researchers, these findings will enable a better understanding of the molecular foundations of reproductive capacity and could, in the long term, contribute to developing new approaches to treating fertility disorders and new methods of specific contraception.
Sperm cells differ fundamentally in structure and function from other cell types. After all, their only task is to track down and fuse with the egg. Sperm cells only achieve their full activity in what is called capacitation, which means the maturing of the cells in the semen. One of the final steps of this biochemical process involves increasing the sperm’s mobility. If the cells are not able to move autonomously, or only to a limited extent, the result is generally reduced fertility or a complete lack of reproductive capacity. The sperm cells cannot reach and fertilize the egg cell.
Within this final maturation process, special proteins found in the sperm membrane have a particular role. Known as membrane transporters, they are responsible for transporting nutrients, for instance, into or out of the cell.
“Transporting certain ions into the cell leads to a rise in sperm mobility. For that reason, the proteins responsible for the transport are directly linked to the fertility of a sperm and thereby with the male capacity for reproduction,” the senior author underlines.
With the assistance of cryo-electron microscopy, the scientists have now been able to decode the structure of an important sperm membrane transporter at the molecular level. Amongst other things, they discovered what its functional units look like, and how they interconnect and interact.
“We have observed that the key protein is, like a lego toy, constructed from different building units. These building blocks are basically known from other proteins, but have never been observed in such a combination. With the aid of this information, we were able to decode the mechanism of this transporter for the first time,” explains another author.
These new findings will be helpful in the next step, developing potential substances that influence this mechanism. They may make it possible to activate or deactivate the functions of the proteins. The extent to which these findings can be transferred to the mechanisms of human sperm will call for further investigation. In the long term, they contain potential for finding new ways of treating infertility, or vice versa, of preventing the sperm from fertilising the egg cell.
The results of the research studies have appeared in the journal “Nature”.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06629-w
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fstructures-of-a-sperm&filter=22
A sperm-specific transporter characterized
- 545 views
- Added
Latest News
Protein that helps COVID-19…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SM…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Link between bowel movement…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Inhibition of IL-11 signall…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Jul
Brain changes linked to obe…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Jul
Other Top Stories
'Natural killer' cells could halt Parkinson's progression
Read more
How inflammation triggers fatal cycle in Alzheimer's disease
Read more
A protein controls inflammation through non-enzymatic activities
Read more
Sex-specific traits of the immune system explain men's susceptibili…
Read more
Too much salt weakens the immune system and may increase infections
Read more
Protocols
A systems biology approach…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Jul
quantms: a cloud-based pipe…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Jul
Emerging tools and best pra…
By newseditor
Posted 19 Jul
Directly selecting cell-typ…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Jul
PUFFFIN: an ultra-bright, c…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jul
Publications
Hepatocyte-intrinsic SMN de…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Aberrant bowel movement fre…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
A pseudoautosomal glycosyla…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Microglia protect against a…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Rigor and reproducibility i…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Presentations
Myelin plasticity in the ve…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar