Cargando…
Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility
The ammonium transporter (AMT)/methylammonium permease (MEP)/Rhesus glycoprotein (Rh) family of ammonia (NH(3)/NH(4)(+)) transporters has been identified in organisms from all domains of life. In animals, fundamental roles for AMT and Rh proteins in the specific transport of ammonia across biologica...
Autores principales: | , |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
National Academy of Sciences
2020
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7703593/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33168715 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2011648117 |
_version_ | 1783616664953159680 |
---|---|
author | Durant, Andrea C. Donini, Andrew |
author_facet | Durant, Andrea C. Donini, Andrew |
author_sort | Durant, Andrea C. |
collection | PubMed |
description | The ammonium transporter (AMT)/methylammonium permease (MEP)/Rhesus glycoprotein (Rh) family of ammonia (NH(3)/NH(4)(+)) transporters has been identified in organisms from all domains of life. In animals, fundamental roles for AMT and Rh proteins in the specific transport of ammonia across biological membranes to mitigate ammonia toxicity and aid in osmoregulation, acid–base balance, and excretion have been well documented. Here, we observed enriched Amt (AeAmt1) mRNA levels within reproductive organs of the arboviral vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti, prompting us to explore the role of AMTs in reproduction. We show that AeAmt1 is localized to sperm flagella during all stages of spermiogenesis and spermatogenesis in male testes. AeAmt1 expression in sperm flagella persists in spermatozoa that navigate the female reproductive tract following insemination and are stored within the spermathecae, as well as throughout sperm migration along the spermathecal ducts during ovulation to fertilize the descending egg. We demonstrate that RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated AeAmt1 protein knockdown leads to significant reductions (∼40%) of spermatozoa stored in seminal vesicles of males, resulting in decreased egg viability when these males inseminate nonmated females. We suggest that AeAmt1 function in spermatozoa is to protect against ammonia toxicity based on our observations of high NH(4)(+) levels in the densely packed spermathecae of mated females. The presence of AMT proteins, in addition to Rh proteins, across insect taxa may indicate a conserved function for AMTs in sperm viability and reproduction in general. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-7703593 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2020 |
publisher | National Academy of Sciences |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-77035932020-12-10 Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility Durant, Andrea C. Donini, Andrew Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Biological Sciences The ammonium transporter (AMT)/methylammonium permease (MEP)/Rhesus glycoprotein (Rh) family of ammonia (NH(3)/NH(4)(+)) transporters has been identified in organisms from all domains of life. In animals, fundamental roles for AMT and Rh proteins in the specific transport of ammonia across biological membranes to mitigate ammonia toxicity and aid in osmoregulation, acid–base balance, and excretion have been well documented. Here, we observed enriched Amt (AeAmt1) mRNA levels within reproductive organs of the arboviral vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti, prompting us to explore the role of AMTs in reproduction. We show that AeAmt1 is localized to sperm flagella during all stages of spermiogenesis and spermatogenesis in male testes. AeAmt1 expression in sperm flagella persists in spermatozoa that navigate the female reproductive tract following insemination and are stored within the spermathecae, as well as throughout sperm migration along the spermathecal ducts during ovulation to fertilize the descending egg. We demonstrate that RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated AeAmt1 protein knockdown leads to significant reductions (∼40%) of spermatozoa stored in seminal vesicles of males, resulting in decreased egg viability when these males inseminate nonmated females. We suggest that AeAmt1 function in spermatozoa is to protect against ammonia toxicity based on our observations of high NH(4)(+) levels in the densely packed spermathecae of mated females. The presence of AMT proteins, in addition to Rh proteins, across insect taxa may indicate a conserved function for AMTs in sperm viability and reproduction in general. National Academy of Sciences 2020-11-24 2020-11-09 /pmc/articles/PMC7703593/ /pubmed/33168715 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2011648117 Text en Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) . |
spellingShingle | Biological Sciences Durant, Andrea C. Donini, Andrew Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility |
title | Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility |
title_full | Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility |
title_fullStr | Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility |
title_full_unstemmed | Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility |
title_short | Ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector Aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility |
title_sort | ammonium transporter expression in sperm of the disease vector aedes aegypti mosquito influences male fertility |
topic | Biological Sciences |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7703593/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33168715 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2011648117 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT durantandreac ammoniumtransporterexpressioninspermofthediseasevectoraedesaegyptimosquitoinfluencesmalefertility AT doniniandrew ammoniumtransporterexpressioninspermofthediseasevectoraedesaegyptimosquitoinfluencesmalefertility |