Reproduction  
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS  
Reproduction (2005) 129 435-442
DOI: 10.1530/rep.1.00255
Copyright © 2005 Society for Reproduction and Fertility
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ben-Aharon, I.
Right arrow Articles by Shalgi, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ben-Aharon, I.
Right arrow Articles by Shalgi, R.

RESEARCH

The expression of calpain 1 and calpain 2 in spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa of the mouse

Irit Ben-Aharon, Paula R Brown1, Nir Etkovitz2, Edward M Eddy1 and Ruth Shalgi

Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel, 1 Gamete Biology Section, Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA and 2 Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel

Correspondence should be addressed to R Shalgi; Email: shalgir{at}post.tau.ac.il

There is some evidence suggesting that Ca2+ is involved in processes that occur during the development and function of spermatozoa. Calcium-dependent proteins, such as calmodulin, are expressed during mammalian spermatogenesis further suggesting that Ca2+ takes part in its regulation. However, the precise roles of Ca2+ in spermatogenesis remain to be elucidated. Calpains are a family of Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases whose members are expressed ubiquitously or in a tissue-specific manner. Calpain has been demonstrated to mediate specific Ca2+-dependent processes including cell fusion, mitosis and meiosis. We herein followed the expression pattern of calpain’s ubiquitous isoforms, 1 and 2, throughout spermatogenesis at the RNA and protein levels by RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. Both RNA and protein studies revealed that these isoforms are expressed in all spermatogenic cells. The expression of calpain 1 levels is slightly higher in spermatocytes entering the meiotic phase. Both calpain isoforms are also expressed in mouse spermatozoa and are localized to the acrosomal cap. Inducing capacitated spermatozoa to undergo the acrosome reaction in the presence of a selective calpain inhibitor significantly reduced the acrosome reaction rate in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, calpain, a pluripotential protease with numerous substrates, may serve as an effector in more than one pathway in the complex process of spermatogenesis and in the events preceding fertilization, such as the acrosome reaction.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Acta Biochim Biophys SinHome page
H. Liu, S. Li, Y. Zhang, Y. Yan, and Y. Li
Dynamic regulation of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 gene expression in rat testis
Acta Biochim Biophys Sin, July 1, 2009; 41(7): 545 - 553.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
D. White, E. de Lamirande, and C. Gagnon
Protein kinase C is an important signaling mediator associated with motility of intact sea urchin spermatozoa
J. Exp. Biol., November 15, 2007; 210(22): 4053 - 4064.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS  
Copyright © 2005 by the Society for Reproduction and Fertility.