Oiki Sayoko, Hiyama Erina, Gotoh Takafumi, Iida Hiroshi
1 Laboratory of Zoology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Higashiku Hakozaki 6-10-1, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
Zoolog Sci. 2014 Feb;31(2):101-7. doi: 10.2108/zsj.31.101.
Tektins (TEKTs) are constitutive filamentous proteins of microtubules in cilia, flagella, basal bodies, and centrioles. In mammals, five TEKTs (TEKT1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) have been identified in testis and spermatozoa. With the exception of TEKT1, these TEKTs have been reported to be present in spermatozoa with predominant localization at the peri-axoneme structures of flagella, i.e., mitochondria and outer dense fibers. In the present study, we produced an antibody against TEKT1 to examine the localization of TEKT1 in mouse, bull, and rat spermatozoa. By immunoblot analyses and immunofluorescence microscopy, we found TEKT1 to be present in sperm flagella and at the apical region of acrosome cap in spermatozoa of all these species. Acrosome-associated TEKT1 disappeared after in vitro acrosome reaction in mouse spermatozoa. These observations suggest another potential role for TEKT1 as a cytoskeletal element in the sperm head, or as a molecule involved in acrosome-related phenomena, such as acrosome reaction.
微管蛋白（TEKTs）是纤毛、鞭毛、基体和中心粒中微管的组成性丝状蛋白。在哺乳动物中，已在睾丸和精子中鉴定出五种微管蛋白（TEKT1、2、3、4和5）。除TEKT1外，据报道这些微管蛋白存在于精子中，主要定位于鞭毛的轴丝周围结构，即线粒体和外周致密纤维。在本研究中，我们制备了一种针对TEKT1的抗体，以检测TEKT1在小鼠、公牛和大鼠精子中的定位。通过免疫印迹分析和免疫荧光显微镜检查，我们发现TEKT1存在于所有这些物种精子的鞭毛以及顶体帽的顶端区域。在小鼠精子体外顶体反应后，与顶体相关的TEKT1消失。这些观察结果表明，TEKT1作为精子头部的细胞骨架成分，或作为参与顶体相关现象（如顶体反应）的分子，可能具有另一种潜在作用。
