Department of Gamete and Embryo Biology, Semen Biology Group, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, 10-747 Olsztyn, Poland.
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2010 Oct;157(2):220-7. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2010.06.007. Epub 2010 Jul 1.
Parvalbumin is well known as the major fish allergen that is typically present in high amounts in muscles, where it functions in calcium buffering and is involved in the relaxation process in fast-twitch muscles. We show in our current study that parvalbumin-like protein is present in high amounts in carp spermatozoa. It is the first report to demonstrate the presence of parvalbumin-like protein in fish spermatozoa. Using antibodies produced against purified carp parvalbumin-like protein, we localized parvalbumin-like protein to spermatids and spermatozoa. Our results indicate that parvalbumin-like protein appeared during the final stage of spermatogenesis. We also detected high amounts of parvalbumin-like protein in carp seminal plasma but not in blood plasma which suggests that its function may be specific for the male reproductive tract. The activation mechanism of carp sperm movement is not fully understood, but in carp, Ca2+ influx is the prerequisite for the initiation of sperm motility. The appearance of parvalbumin-like protein in high amounts in mature spermatozoa coincides with their acquiring the ability to move. The presence of parvalbumin-like protein in spermatozoa and seminal plasma strongly suggests that parvalbumin-like protein is an important part of the Ca2+-mediated mechanism of sperm activation in carp.
副肌球蛋白是一种主要的鱼类过敏原，通常大量存在于肌肉中，在肌肉中发挥钙缓冲作用，并参与快速抽搐肌肉的松弛过程。我们在目前的研究中表明，副肌球蛋白样蛋白大量存在于鲤鱼精子中。这是首次报道在鱼类精子中存在副肌球蛋白样蛋白。使用针对纯化的鲤鱼副肌球蛋白样蛋白产生的抗体，我们将副肌球蛋白样蛋白定位到精母细胞和精子中。我们的结果表明，副肌球蛋白样蛋白在精子发生的最后阶段出现。我们还在鲤鱼精液中检测到大量的副肌球蛋白样蛋白，但在血浆中没有检测到，这表明它的功能可能是特异性的，仅限于雄性生殖道。鲤鱼精子运动的激活机制尚未完全阐明，但在鲤鱼中，Ca2+内流是精子运动起始的先决条件。大量副肌球蛋白样蛋白出现在成熟精子中，与它们获得运动能力的时间一致。副肌球蛋白样蛋白存在于精子和精液中强烈表明，副肌球蛋白样蛋白是鲤鱼精子激活的 Ca2+介导机制的重要组成部分。
