Lysine acetylation modulates mouse sperm capacitation. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Mammalian sperm are unable to fertilize the egg immediately after ejaculation. To gain fertilization competence, they need to undergo a series of modifications inside the female reproductive tract, known as capacitation. Capacitation involves several molecular events such as phosphorylation cascades, hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane and intracellular Ca2+ changes, which prepare the sperm to develop two essential features for fertilization competence: hyperactivation and acrosome reaction. Since sperm cells lack new protein biosynthesis, post-translational modification of existing proteins plays a crucial role to obtain full functionality. Here, we show the presence of acetylated proteins in murine sperm, which increase during capacitation. Pharmacological hyperacetylation of lysine residues in non-capacitated sperm induces activation of PKA, hyperpolarization of the sperm plasma membrane, CatSper opening and Ca2+ influx, all capacitation-associated molecular events. Furthermore, hyperacetylation of non-capacitated sperm promotes hyperactivation and prepares the sperm to undergo acrosome reaction. Together, these results indicate that acetylation could be involved in the acquisition of fertilization competence of mammalian sperm.

publication date

  • September 6, 2018

Research

keywords

  • Acrosome Reaction
  • Lysine
  • Sperm Capacitation
  • Spermatozoa

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC6127136

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85052937964

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.ceca.2003.10.006

PubMed ID

  • 30190490

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 8

issue

  • 1