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Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm

The spermatozoon is specialized for a single vital role in fertilization. Past studies show that Ca(2+) signals produced by the opening of plasma membrane entry channels initiate several events required for the sperm to reach and enter the egg but reveal little about how resting [Ca(2+)](i) is maint...

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Autores principales: Wennemuth, Gunther, Babcock, Donner F., Hille, Bertil
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Rockefeller University Press 2003
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2234473/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12835474
http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.200308839
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author Wennemuth, Gunther
Babcock, Donner F.
Hille, Bertil
author_facet Wennemuth, Gunther
Babcock, Donner F.
Hille, Bertil
author_sort Wennemuth, Gunther
collection PubMed
description The spermatozoon is specialized for a single vital role in fertilization. Past studies show that Ca(2+) signals produced by the opening of plasma membrane entry channels initiate several events required for the sperm to reach and enter the egg but reveal little about how resting [Ca(2+)](i) is maintained or restored after elevation. We examined these homeostatic mechanisms by monitoring the kinetics of recovery from depolarizing stimuli under conditions intended to inhibit candidate mechanisms for sequestration or extrusion of Ca(2+) from the cytosol. We found that the Ca(2+)-ATPase pump of the plasma membrane performs the major task of Ca(2+) clearance. It is essential in the final stages of recovery to achieve a low resting [Ca(2+)](i). With immunomethods we found a ∼130-kD plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase protein on Western blots of whole sperm extracts and showed immunolocalization to the proximal principal piece of the flagellum. The plasma membrane Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger also exports Ca(2+) when [Ca(2+)](i) is elevated. Simultaneous inhibition of both mechanisms of extrusion revealed an additional contribution to clearance from a CCCP-sensitive component, presumably sequestration by the mitochondria. Involvement of SERCA pumps was not clearly detected. Many aspects of the kinetics of Ca(2+) clearance observed in the presence and absence of inhibitors were reproduced in a mathematical model based on known and assumed kinetic parameters. The model predicts that when cytosolic [Ca(2+)] is at 1 μM, the rates of removal by the Ca(2+)-ATPase, Na(+)-Ca(2+)-exchanger, mitochondrial uniporter, and SERCA pump are ∼1.0, 0.35, 0.33, and 0 μmole l(−1) s(−1), rates substantially slower than those reported for other cells studied by similar methods. According to the model, the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger is poised so that it may run in reverse at resting [Ca(2+)](i) levels. We conclude that the essential functions of sperm do not require the ability to recover rapidly from globally elevated cytosolic [Ca(2+)].
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spelling pubmed-22344732008-04-16 Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm Wennemuth, Gunther Babcock, Donner F. Hille, Bertil J Gen Physiol Article The spermatozoon is specialized for a single vital role in fertilization. Past studies show that Ca(2+) signals produced by the opening of plasma membrane entry channels initiate several events required for the sperm to reach and enter the egg but reveal little about how resting [Ca(2+)](i) is maintained or restored after elevation. We examined these homeostatic mechanisms by monitoring the kinetics of recovery from depolarizing stimuli under conditions intended to inhibit candidate mechanisms for sequestration or extrusion of Ca(2+) from the cytosol. We found that the Ca(2+)-ATPase pump of the plasma membrane performs the major task of Ca(2+) clearance. It is essential in the final stages of recovery to achieve a low resting [Ca(2+)](i). With immunomethods we found a ∼130-kD plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase protein on Western blots of whole sperm extracts and showed immunolocalization to the proximal principal piece of the flagellum. The plasma membrane Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger also exports Ca(2+) when [Ca(2+)](i) is elevated. Simultaneous inhibition of both mechanisms of extrusion revealed an additional contribution to clearance from a CCCP-sensitive component, presumably sequestration by the mitochondria. Involvement of SERCA pumps was not clearly detected. Many aspects of the kinetics of Ca(2+) clearance observed in the presence and absence of inhibitors were reproduced in a mathematical model based on known and assumed kinetic parameters. The model predicts that when cytosolic [Ca(2+)] is at 1 μM, the rates of removal by the Ca(2+)-ATPase, Na(+)-Ca(2+)-exchanger, mitochondrial uniporter, and SERCA pump are ∼1.0, 0.35, 0.33, and 0 μmole l(−1) s(−1), rates substantially slower than those reported for other cells studied by similar methods. According to the model, the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger is poised so that it may run in reverse at resting [Ca(2+)](i) levels. We conclude that the essential functions of sperm do not require the ability to recover rapidly from globally elevated cytosolic [Ca(2+)]. The Rockefeller University Press 2003-07 /pmc/articles/PMC2234473/ /pubmed/12835474 http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.200308839 Text en Copyright © 2003, The Rockefeller University Press This article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (see http://www.rupress.org/terms). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 4.0 Unported license, as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Wennemuth, Gunther
Babcock, Donner F.
Hille, Bertil
Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm
title Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm
title_full Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm
title_fullStr Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm
title_full_unstemmed Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm
title_short Calcium Clearance Mechanisms of Mouse Sperm
title_sort calcium clearance mechanisms of mouse sperm
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2234473/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12835474
http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.200308839
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