A dynamic basal complex modulates mammalian sperm movement

Sushil Khanal, Miguel Ricardo Leung, Abigail Royfman, Emily L. Fishman, Barbara Saltzman, Hermes Bloomfield-Gadêlha, Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai () and Tomer Avidor-Reiss ()
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Sushil Khanal: University of Toledo
Miguel Ricardo Leung: The University of Oxford
Abigail Royfman: University of Toledo
Emily L. Fishman: University of Toledo
Barbara Saltzman: University of Toledo
Hermes Bloomfield-Gadêlha: University of Bristol
Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai: The University of Oxford
Tomer Avidor-Reiss: University of Toledo

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Reproductive success depends on efficient sperm movement driven by axonemal dynein-mediated microtubule sliding. Models predict sliding at the base of the tail – the centriole – but such sliding has never been observed. Centrioles are ancient organelles with a conserved architecture; their rigidity is thought to restrict microtubule sliding. Here, we show that, in mammalian sperm, the atypical distal centriole (DC) and its surrounding atypical pericentriolar matrix form a dynamic basal complex (DBC) that facilitates a cascade of internal sliding deformations, coupling tail beating with asymmetric head kinking. During asymmetric tail beating, the DC’s right side and its surroundings slide ~300 nm rostrally relative to the left side. The deformation throughout the DBC is transmitted to the head-tail junction; thus, the head tilts to the left, generating a kinking motion. These findings suggest that the DBC evolved as a dynamic linker coupling sperm head and tail into a single self-coordinated system.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-24011-0

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24011-0

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