Ling Zhang1, Jingkai Zhen1, Qian Huang1,2, Hong Liu1,2, Wei Li2, Shiyang Zhang1,2, Jie Min1, Yuhong Li1,2, Lin Shi1,2, James Woods2, Xuequn Chen2, Yuqin Shi1, Yunhao Liu1, Rex A Hess3, Shizhen Song1, Zhibing Zhang2,4. 1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. 2. Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. 3. Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intraflagellar transport is a motor-driven trafficking system that is required for the formation of cilia. Intraflagellar transport protein 20 (IFT20) is a master regulator for the control of spermatogenesis and male fertility in mice. However, the mechanism of how IFT20 regulates spermatogenesis is unknown. RESULTS: Spermatogenesis associated 1 (SPATA1) was identified to be a major potential binding partner of IFT20 by a yeast two-hybrid screening. The interaction between SPATA1 and IFT20 was examined by direct yeast two-hybrid, co-localization, and co-immunoprecipitation assays. SPATA1 is highly abundant in the mouse testis, and is also expressed in the heart and kidney. During the first wave of spermatogenesis, SPATA1 is detectable at postnatal day 24 and its expression is increased at day 30 and 35. Immunofluorescence staining of mouse testis sections and epididymal sperm demonstrated that SPATA1 is localized mainly in the acrosome of developing spermatids but not in epididymal sperm. IFT20 is also present in the acrosome area of round spermatids. In conditional Ift20 knockout mice, testicular expression level and acrosomal localization of SPATA1 are not changed. CONCLUSIONS: SPATA1 is an IFT20 binding protein and may provide a docking site for IFT20 complex binding to the acrosome area.
BACKGROUND: Intraflagellar transport is a motor-driven trafficking system that is required for the formation of cilia. Intraflagellar transport protein 20 (IFT20) is a master regulator for the control of spermatogenesis and male fertility in mice. However, the mechanism of how IFT20 regulates spermatogenesis is unknown. RESULTS:Spermatogenesis associated 1 (SPATA1) was identified to be a major potential binding partner of IFT20 by a yeast two-hybrid screening. The interaction between SPATA1 and IFT20 was examined by direct yeast two-hybrid, co-localization, and co-immunoprecipitation assays. SPATA1 is highly abundant in the mouse testis, and is also expressed in the heart and kidney. During the first wave of spermatogenesis, SPATA1 is detectable at postnatal day 24 and its expression is increased at day 30 and 35. Immunofluorescence staining of mouse testis sections and epididymal sperm demonstrated that SPATA1 is localized mainly in the acrosome of developing spermatids but not in epididymal sperm. IFT20 is also present in the acrosome area of round spermatids. In conditional Ift20 knockout mice, testicular expression level and acrosomal localization of SPATA1 are not changed. CONCLUSIONS:SPATA1 is an IFT20 binding protein and may provide a docking site for IFT20 complex binding to the acrosome area.
Authors: Christopher B Geyer; Amy L Inselman; Jeffrey A Sunman; Sheila Bornstein; Mary Ann Handel; Edward M Eddy Journal: Dev Biol Date: 2009-03-31 Impact factor: 3.582