Cellular prion protein (Prp(C)) is a glycoprotein usually associated with membranes via its glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. The trans-conformational form of this protein (Prp(SC)) is the suggested agent responsible for transmissible neurodegenerative spongiform encephalopathies. This protein has been shown on sperm and in the reproductive fluids of males. Antibodies directed against ...

BACKGROUND The condensed state of the human sperm's chromatin is essential for the compact structure of the spermatozoon head, which is important for the fertilization process. The enzymes DNA topoisomerases (topo I and topo II) are responsible for the topological structure of the chromatin in somatic cells. The activities and the characterization of topoisomerases in mature human sperm cells h...

The male reproductive tracts in different species are characterized by similar patterns of male-dependent overexpression of carboxylesterases. This phenomenon indicates male sex-associated functions of these enzymes for spermatogenesis, sperm maturation, and sperm use. Recently, a novel epididymis-specific gene named Ces7 was cloned and characterized, which belongs to the carboxylesterase famil...

Proteins known to function during cell-cell communication and exocytosis in neurons and other secretory cells have recently been reported in human sperm. Synapsins are a group of proteins that have been very well characterized in neurons, but little is known about synapsin function in other cell types. Based upon previous findings and the known function of synapsin, we tested the hypothesis tha...

Immunological sperm sexing is one of the desirable choices to separate X and Y sperm. The basic concept of immunological technique is based on the different proteins on the surface of X and Y sperms. To investigate the sperm surface proteins, proteomic investigation using 2 dimensional gel (2D-gel) electrophoresis technique has been applied. The initial step, protein extraction is very importan...

BACKGROUND The availability of testis specific genes will be of help in choosing the most promising biomarkers for the detection of testicular sperm retrieval in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Testis specific chromodomain protein Y 1 (CDY1) is a histone acetyltransferase which concentrates in the round spermatid nucleus, where histone hyperacetylation occurs and causes the rep...

GTPase of unknown function 1 (Guf1) is a mitochondrial protein in eukaryotes. Although this protein was identified several years ago, its physiological role in mammals remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that Guf1 is located specifically in sperm mitochondria. The physiological functions of Guf1 were investigated using a novel constructed knockout mouse model. Guf1 males were infertile. Sperm...

Females of many animal species store sperm for taxon-specific periods of time, ranging from a few hours to years. Female sperm storage has important reproductive and evolutionary consequences, yet relatively little is known of its molecular basis. Here, we report the isolation of a loss-of-function mutation of the Drosophila melanogaster Acp29AB gene, which encodes a seminal fluid protein that ...

BACKGROUND Male-factor infertility presents a vexing problem for many reproductively active couples. Many studies have focused on abnormal sperm parameters. Recent advances in proteomic techniques, especially in mass spectrometry, have aided in the study of sperm and more specifically, sperm proteins. The aim of this study was to review the current literature on the various proteomic techniques...

Background The immotile short tail sperm (ISTS) defect is one of the disorders that cause male infertility. Men with this condition have immotile short-tail sperm with structural defects in the fibrous sheath(FS). A Kinase Anchoring Protein 4 (AKAP4) is one of the most abundant proteins in the fibrous sheathof sperm flagella and provides scaffold for the correct assembly of FS.Since exon 6 of A...