The Slc26 gene family encodes several conserved anion transporters implicated in human genetic disorders, including Pendred syndrome, diastrophic dysplasia and congenital chloride diarrhea. We previously characterized the TAT1 (testis anion transporter 1; SLC26A8) protein specifically expressed in male germ cells and mature sperm and showed that in the mouse, deletion of Tat1 caused male steril...

PDC-109 is the prevalent secretory protein from bovine seminal vesicles that binds to the midpiece of sperm once they pass the ampulla of the vas deferens during emission. Thereby, the protein changes biophysical membrane properties, eventually resulting in increased sperm motility. To elucidate the underlying biochemical mechanism, we have studied the ion-pumping activity (Ca(2+)-ATPase) in me...

background: diabetes mellitus (dm), primary or idiopathic is a chronic disorder of the carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. dm may impact male reproductive function at several levels. it is shown that dm has detrimental effects on sperm parameters in human and experimental animals. objective: the aim of this study was to observe the effects of diabetes on sperm parameters (viability, cou...

The alteration in the protein signatures of the testicular sperm during its epididymal sojourn makes it functionally competent for successful fertilization. The present study was undertaken to identify the proteins acquired on its 2 domains, that is, the head and the flagellum, during the epididymal transit using a differential proteomics approach. Testicular sperm proteome was compared with ca...

DNA fragmentation and the nuclear protein matrix in boar spermatozoa were simultaneously assessed using a specific variant of the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test that allows direct visualization of DNA and nuclear proteins under standard conditions of chemical lysis. Nuclear proteins remaining after lysis were stained with the fluorochrome 2,7-dibrom-4-hydroxy-mercury-fluorescein for spec...

BACKGROUND Protein tyrosine phosphorylation (TP) of human sperm is related to sperm capacitation and zona pellucida (ZP) binding. The aim of this study was to determine whether the TP of capacitated sperm is a useful marker for the ability of sperm to bind to the ZP and undergo the ZP-induced acrosome reaction (AR). METHODS Semen samples were obtained from 115 subfertile men with sperm count ...

STUDY QUESTION Do cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) translocate into spermatozoa and, if so, could they be utilized to deliver a much larger protein cargo? SUMMARY ANSWER Chemically diverse polycationic CPPs rapidly and efficiently translocate into spermatozoa. They exhibit differential accumulation within intracellular compartments without detrimental influences upon cellular viability or mot...

In this study, a gene coding a novel human sperm tail protein named NYD-SP28 was cloned and characterized using a complementary DNA (cDNA) microarray. Its expression was 3.5 times higher in human testis than in fetal testis, and very high in human spermatozoa. The full length of NYD-SP28 cDNA was 1798 bp and encoded a 484-amino-acid protein. Motif analysis revealed that the protein contained a ...

Nearly 7% of men are afflicted by male infertility worldwide, and genetic factors are suspected to play a significant role in the majority of these patients. Although sperm morphology is an important parameter measured in the semen analysis, only a few genetic causes of teratozoospermia are currently known. The objective of this study was to define the association between alterations in the gen...

AIM To investigate the possible functions of human sperm membrane protein (hSMP-1) in the process of fertilization. METHODS A 576-bp cDNA fragment of HSD-1 gene coding for the extracellular domain of hSMP-1 was cloned and expressed. The localization of this protein on human and mouse sperm was determined by indirect immunofluorescent staining by using anti-recombinant hSMP-1 (anti-rhSMP-1) an...