Loss of ACTL7A causes small head sperm by defective acrosome-acroplaxome-manchette complex

BACKGROUND: Actin-like 7 A (ACTL7A) is essential for acrosome formation, fertilization and early embryo development. ACTL7A variants cause acrosome detachment responsible for male infertility and early embryonic arrest. In this study, we aim to explore the additional functions of ACTL7A beyond the process of acrosome biogenesis and investigate the possible underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Nuclear morphology analysis was used to observe the sperm head shape of ACTL7A-mutated patients. Actl7a knock-out (KO) mouse model was generated. Immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed to analyze the structure of spermatids during spermiogenesis. Tandem mass tags labeling quantitative proteomics strategy was employed to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. The expression levels of key proteins in the pathway were analyzed by western blotting. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-artificial oocyte activation (AOA) technology was utilized to overcome fertilization failure in male mice with a complete knockout of Actl7a. RESULTS: The new phenotype of small head sperm associated with loss of ACTL7A in patients was discovered, and further confirmed in Actl7a-KO mice. Immunofluorescence and TEM analyses revealed that the deletion of ACTL7A damaged the formation of acrosome-acroplaxome-manchette complex, leading to abnormalities in the shaping of sperm heads. Moreover, a proteomic analysis of testes from WT and Actl7a-KO mice revealed that differentially expressed genes were notably enriched in PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway which is strongly associated with autophagy. Inhibition of autophagy via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway activation leading to PDLIM1 accumulation might elucidate the hindered development of manchette in Actl7a-KO mice. Remarkably, AOA successfully overcame fertilization failure and allowed for the successful production of healthy offspring from the Actl7a complete knockout male mice. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of ACTL7A causes small head sperm as a result of defective acrosome-acroplaxome-manchette complex via autophagy inhibition. ICSI-AOA is an effective technique to rescue male infertility resulting from ACTL7A deletion. These findings provide essential evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from infertility. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12958-023-01130-5.