SPE-51, a sperm secreted protein with an Immunoglobulin-like domain, is required for sperm-egg fusion in C. elegans
Mei, X.; Druzhinina, M.; Dharia, S.; Krauchunas, A. R.; Ni, J.; Singaravelu, G.; Gu, S. G.; Shakes, D. C.; Grant, B. D.; Singson, A. W.
Show abstract
Despite the importance of fertilization, the molecular basis of sperm-egg interaction is not well understood. In a forward genetics screen for fertility mutants in Caenorhabditis elegans we identified spe-51. Mutant worms make sperm that are unable to fertilize the oocyte but otherwise normal by all available measurements. The spe-51 gene encodes a secreted protein that includes an immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domain and a hydrophobic sequence of amino acids. The SPE-51 protein acts cell-autonomously and localizes to the surface of the spermatozoa. This is the first example of a secreted protein required for the interactions between the sperm and egg with genetic validation for a specific function in fertilization. Our analyses of these genes begin to build a paradigm for sperm-secreted or reproductive tract-secreted proteins that coat the sperm surface and influence their survival, motility, and/or the ability to fertilize the egg.
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