scholarly journals Effect of Heavy Metals on Tyrosine Kinases Signaling during Sperm Capacitation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhawna Kushwaha ◽  
Rohit Beniwal ◽  
Aradhana Mohanty ◽  
Ajay Kumar Singh ◽  
Raj Kumar Yadav ◽  
...  

Sperm capacitation is the key event prior to fertilization. Success rate of currently used assisted reproductive technology like in-vitro fertilization is 50% dependent on sperm maturation or capacitation. In-vivo capacitation occur almost in female reproductive tract in response to various signaling or enzymatic molecules. Interestingly, both early and late events of capacitation are centrally regulated by protein kinase A (PKA). Influx of Ca2+ and HCO3-transmembrane drive leads to change in pH and intracellular cAMP which ultimately activate PKA regulated capacitation. PKA phosphorylates several target proteins that are presumed to initiate different signaling pathways. Some divalent heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium mimic Ca++ entry and its functions and ultimately affect capacitation by inhibiting or inducing tyrosine phosphorylation. In this chapter we review the mechanism of heavy metals by which they affect the tyrosine phosphorylation during sperm capacitation.

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Ju Chung ◽  
Kiyoshi Miki ◽  
Doory Kim ◽  
Sang-Hee Shim ◽  
Huanan F Shi ◽  
...  

We report that the Gm7068 (CatSpere) and Tex40 (CatSperz) genes encode novel subunits of a 9-subunit CatSper ion channel complex. Targeted disruption of CatSperz reduces CatSper current and sperm rheotactic efficiency in mice, resulting in severe male subfertility. Normally distributed in linear quadrilateral nanodomains along the flagellum, the complex lacking CatSperζ is disrupted at ~0.8 μm intervals along the flagellum. This disruption renders the proximal flagellum inflexible and alters the 3D flagellar envelope, thus preventing sperm from reorienting against fluid flow in vitro and efficiently migrating in vivo. Ejaculated CatSperz-null sperm cells retrieved from the mated female uterus partially rescue in vitro fertilization (IVF) that failed with epididymal spermatozoa alone. Human CatSperε is quadrilaterally arranged along the flagella, similar to the CatSper complex in mouse sperm. We speculate that the newly identified CatSperζ subunit is a late evolutionary adaptation to maximize fertilization inside the mammalian female reproductive tract.


Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (11) ◽  
pp. 4495-4501 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Tauchi ◽  
JE Damen ◽  
K Toyama ◽  
GS Feng ◽  
HE Broxmeyer ◽  
...  

Erythropoietin (Epo), the primary in vivo stimulator of erythroid proliferation and differentiation, acts, in part, by altering the tyrosine phosphorylation levels of various intracellular signaling molecules. These phosphorylation levels are tightly regulated by both tyrosine kinases and tyrosine phosphatases. We have recently shown that the SH2 containing tyrosine phosphatase, Syp, binds directly to both the tyrosine phosphorylated form of the Epo receptor (EpoR) and to Grb2 after Epo stimulation of M07e cells engineered to express high levels of human EpoRs (T. Tauchi, et al: J Biol Chem 270:5631, 1995). To determine which tyrosine within the EpoR is responsible for binding Syp, we examined DA-3 cell lines expressing full-length mutant EpoRs bearing tyrosine to phenylalanine substitutions for each of the eight tyrosines within the intracellular domain of the EpoR. We found that: (1) all Epo-stimulated mutant EpoRs, except for the Y425F EpoR, coimmunoprecipitated with Syp; (2) all Epo-stimulated mutant EpoRs, except for the Y425F EpoR, bound to a GST-fusion protein containing both SH2 domains of Syp; (3) Jak2 could phosphorylate GST-Syp in vitro after Epo stimulation of wild-type (wt) EpoR expressing DA-3 cells; (4) Epo-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of Syp in vivo was markedly reduced in Y425F EpoR expressing DA-3 calls; and (5) DA-3 cells expressing the Y425F EpoR grow less well in response to Epo than wt EpoR expressing cells. These results suggest that Syp binds via its SH2 domains to phosphorylated Y425 within the EpoR and is then phosphorylated on tyrosine residues by Jak2. Moreover, Y425 in the EpoR reduces the Epo requirement for Syp tyrosine phosphorylation and promotes proliferation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA Harrison

Capacitation, the process whereby spermatozoa are rendered capable of interacting with and fertilizing the egg, was discovered more than 40 years ago. However, our understanding of it is still far from satisfactory. Several factors conspire to obfuscate studies of capacitation mechanisms: the inherent functional heterogeneity of sperm populations, the range of functions used as parameters of capacitation (whence the endpoint of the process has become conceptually uncertain), and the several profound differences between model in vitro fertilization (IVF) systems and the situation in vivo in the female reproductive tract. Recent investigations in the author's laboratory have shown that bicarbonate/CO2, an essential component for successful IVF, causes rapid changes in lipid architecture of the sperm plasma membrane and slower changes in surface coating. These changes are accompanied by membrane destabilization and cell death. Evidence suggests that bicarbonate's actions are mediated through cyclic nucleotide signalling. Of particular note is the heterogeneity in rate of response to bicarbonate shown by individual cells in the sperm populations. Taken together with other observations, the findings suggest that capacitation is a series of positive destabilizing events that eventually lead to cell death. The 'capacitated' state would then be a window of destabilization within which spermatozoa can undergo a zona-induced acrosome reaction and display hyperactivated motility. Further along the destabilization pathway, spontaneous acrosome reactions would occur before total membrane degeneration. In vivo, capacitation would be a conflict between destabilization and sperm survival. Concentrations of bicarbonate are maintained low in the cauda epididymidis, where sperm survive for long periods, and one may speculate that hormonal control of local bicarbonate/CO2 in oviducal 'storage' sites in the female tract could allow 'safe' sequestering of live spermatozoa until around the time of ovulation; the environment may then change to produce a 'capacitating' effect, whence, due to the inherent functional heterogeneity of the sequestered population, small numbers of capacitated spermatozoa are released sequentially. In this way, a succession of spermatozoa in the correct physiological state may be provided for the freshly ovulated egg.


Reproduction ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Ded ◽  
Natasa Sebkova ◽  
Martina Cerna ◽  
Fatima Elzeinova ◽  
Pavla Dostalova ◽  
...  

Estrogens play a crucial role in spermatogenesis and estrogen receptor α knock-out male mice are infertile. It has been demonstrated that estrogens significantly increase the speed of capacitation in vitro; however this may lead to the reduction of reproductive potential due to the decreased ability of these sperm to undergo the acrosome reaction. To date the in vivo effect of estrogens on the ability of sperm to capacitate has not been investigated. Therefore, in this study, we exposed mice (n=24) to 17β-estradiol (E2) at the concentration of 20 ng/ml either during puberty from the fourth to seventh week of age (n=8), or continuously from birth for a period of 12 weeks (n=8) at which age the animals from both groups were killed. The capacitation status of epididymal and testicular sperm was analysed by tyrosine phosphorylation (TyrP) antibody (immunofluorescence and western blot) and chlortetracycline (CTC) assay. According to our results, in vivo exposure to increased E2 concentrations caused premature sperm capacitation in the epididymis. The effect of E2, however, seems reversible because after the termination of the exposure premature epididymal sperm capacitation is decreased in animals treated during puberty. Furthermore the changes in epididymal sperm capacitation status detected by TyrP and CTC positively correlate with plasma levels of E2 and the expression of the estrogen-dependent trefoil factor 1 (Tff1) gene in testicular tissue. Therefore, our data implicate that in vivo exposure to E2 under specific conditions leads to the premature capacitation of mouse sperm in epididymis with a potential negative impact on the sperm reproductive fitness in the female reproductive tract.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
C. Matás ◽  
M. Sansegundo ◽  
S. Ruiz ◽  
J. Gadea

The production of pig embryos in vitro is still relatively inefficient compared with results obtained with oocytes matured and fertilized in vivo. The main reasons for this limited performance are polyspermy after IVF and the poor developmental ability of embryos produced by IVM-IVF (Kikuchi et al. 2002 Biol. Reprod. 1033-1041). Between factors affecting polyspermy are the sperm procedures before IVF. Usually, these procedures including centrifugations that increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in spermatozoa. ROS play an important role in sperm physiology including capacitation. Physiological concentrations of ROS have been proposed to enhance sperm capacitation by increasing cAMP synthesis and by inhibiting protein tyrosine phosphatases whilst activating tyrosine kinases. In general, epididymal spermatozoa appear to be able to capacitate and fertilize eggs in vitro much more easily than ejaculated spermatozoa (Yanagimachi Mammalian Fertilization. In: The Physiology of Reproduction, Raven Press 1988; 135-182). In this study, we investigated how different sources (ejaculated spermatozoa vs. epididymal spermatozoa) and sperm capacitating methods, usually employed in porcine IVF, could be affect ROS generation. Sperm-rich fractions from five fertile boars and sperm from five different epididyimides were used. The semen samples were then: (i) washed in Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) supplemented with 0.1% BSA, (ii) left unwashed, or (iii) washed on a Percoll (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) gradient (Mat�s et al. 2003 Reproduction 125, 133-141). Production of ROS was measured by incubating the spermatozoa in the in vitro fertilization medium (TALP) in the presence of 0.7 �m 22,72-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate at 37�C under 5% CO2 in 100% humidified air. Every 15 min (from 15 to 135) the samples were analyzed and evaluated by flow cytometry. Measurements were expressed as the mean green intensity fluorescence units and it was used as index of ROS generation (Gadea et al. 2005 J. Androl. 26, 396-404). ANOVA analysis revealed a significant effect of sperm treatment on the ROS generation (P < 0.001). The highest value was obtained in sperm washed on a Percoll gradient and the lowest in unwashed semen. When ejaculated vs. epididymal semen was analyzed, the same tendency was observed in both. However, the values were always lower in epididymal semen than in ejaculated semen (P < 0.001). As a conclusion, ROS generation is different between treatments and between semen procedures for the time interval studied, and this finding may help to explain the different outcome in IVF among laboratories. This work was supported by Ministerio de Educaci�n y Ciencia, AGL2003-03144.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 547-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Uwe Simon ◽  
Shida Yousefi ◽  
Birgit Dibbert ◽  
Holger Hebestreit ◽  
Martina Weber ◽  
...  

Fas ligand/Fas receptor molecular interactions have been implicated as having an important function for the regulation of eosinophil apoptosis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate biochemical events triggered by the engagement of the Fas receptor in freshly isolated human and mouse eosinophils. Activation of the Fas receptor on eosinophils with the agonistic anti-Fas monoclonal antibody (MoAb) resulted in increased tyrosine phosphorylation of several intracellular proteins. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors lavendustin A and genistein inhibited Fas receptor-induced cell death in both human and mouse eosinophils in vitro and prevented, at least partially, Fas receptor-mediated resolution of eosinophilic inflammation in a mouse in vivo model of lung eosinophilia. In addition, in freshly purified human eosinophils, lavendustin A prevented anti-Fas MoAb-induced proteolytic cleavage of lamin B, suggesting that tyrosine kinases may amplify the proteolytic signaling cascade within interleukin-1β converting enzyme (ICE) family proteases. Moreover, the tyrosine kinase Lyn was identified as being involved in Fas receptor-mediated cell death. Collectively, these results demonstrate that tyrosine phosphorylation is an important step in the generation of the Fas receptor-linked transmembrane death signal in eosinophils and that Lyn participates in this pathway.


Endocrinology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 1248-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoting Ma ◽  
Emily Hayes ◽  
Hen Prizant ◽  
Rajesh K. Srivastava ◽  
Stephen R. Hammes ◽  
...  

Abstract Obesity is considered detrimental to women's reproductive health. Although most of the attention has been focused on the effects of obesity on hypothalamic function, studies suggest a multifactorial impact. In fact, obesity is associated with reduced fecundity even in women with regular cycles, indicating that there may be local ovarian effects modulating fertility. Here we describe a novel mechanism for leptin actions directly in the ovary that may account for some of the negative effects of obesity on ovarian function. We find that normal cycling, obese, hyperleptinemic mice fed with a high-fat diet are subfertile and ovulate fewer oocytes compared with animals fed with a normal diet. Importantly, we show that leptin induces expression of the neuropeptide cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) in the granulosa cells (GCs) of ovarian follicles both in vitro and in vivo. CART then negatively affects intracellular cAMP levels, MAPK signaling, and aromatase mRNA expression, which leads to lower estradiol synthesis in GCs and altered ovarian folliculogenesis. Finally, in human samples from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization, we show a significant positive correlation between patient body mass index, CART mRNA expression in GCs, and CART peptide levels in follicular fluid. These observations suggest that, under obese conditions, CART acts as a local mediator of leptin in the ovary to cause ovarian dysfunction and reduced fertility.


1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (18) ◽  
pp. 3005-3014 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Ilan ◽  
S. Mahooti ◽  
D.L. Rimm ◽  
J.A. Madri

Catenins function as regulators of cellular signaling events in addition to their previously documented roles in adherens junction formation and function. Evidence to date suggests that beta and gamma catenins can act as signaling molecules, bind transcriptional factors and translocate to the nucleus. Beta- and gamma-catenin are also major substrates for protein tyrosine kinases, and tyrosine phosphorylation of junctional proteins is correlated with decreased adhesiveness. One way in which catenin functions are modulated is by dynamic incorporation into junctional complexes which controls, in part, the cytoplasmic levels of catenins. Here we show that: (1) vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induces beta-catenin tyrosine phosphorylation in a time-, and dose-dependent manner and that VEGF receptors co-localize to areas of endothelial cell-cell contact in vitro and in vivo. (2) Platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM)-1 can function as a reservoir for, and modulator of, tyrosine phosphorylated beta-catenin. (3) PECAM-1 can prevent beta-catenin nuclear translocation in transfected SW480 colon carcinoma cells. We suggest that PECAM-1 may play a role in modulating beta-catenin tyrosine phosphorylation levels, localization and signaling and by doing so, functions as an important modulator of the endothelium.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 547-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Uwe Simon ◽  
Shida Yousefi ◽  
Birgit Dibbert ◽  
Holger Hebestreit ◽  
Martina Weber ◽  
...  

Abstract Fas ligand/Fas receptor molecular interactions have been implicated as having an important function for the regulation of eosinophil apoptosis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate biochemical events triggered by the engagement of the Fas receptor in freshly isolated human and mouse eosinophils. Activation of the Fas receptor on eosinophils with the agonistic anti-Fas monoclonal antibody (MoAb) resulted in increased tyrosine phosphorylation of several intracellular proteins. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors lavendustin A and genistein inhibited Fas receptor-induced cell death in both human and mouse eosinophils in vitro and prevented, at least partially, Fas receptor-mediated resolution of eosinophilic inflammation in a mouse in vivo model of lung eosinophilia. In addition, in freshly purified human eosinophils, lavendustin A prevented anti-Fas MoAb-induced proteolytic cleavage of lamin B, suggesting that tyrosine kinases may amplify the proteolytic signaling cascade within interleukin-1β converting enzyme (ICE) family proteases. Moreover, the tyrosine kinase Lyn was identified as being involved in Fas receptor-mediated cell death. Collectively, these results demonstrate that tyrosine phosphorylation is an important step in the generation of the Fas receptor-linked transmembrane death signal in eosinophils and that Lyn participates in this pathway.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document