The missing linker between SUN5 and PMFBP1 in sperm head-tail coupling apparatus

Ying Zhang, Chao Liu, Bingbing Wu, Liansheng Li, Wei Li () and Li Yuan ()
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Ying Zhang: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chao Liu: Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital
Bingbing Wu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Liansheng Li: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wei Li: Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital
Li Yuan: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract The sperm head-to-tail coupling apparatus (HTCA) ensures sperm head-tail integrity while defective HTCA causes acephalic spermatozoa, rendering males infertile. Here, we show that CENTLEIN is indispensable for HTCA integrity and function, and that inactivation of CENTLEIN in mice leads to sperm decapitation and male sterility. We demonstrate that CENTLEIN directly interacts with both SUN5 and PMFBP1, two proteins localized in the HTCA and related with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome. We find that the absence of Centlein sets SUN5 and PMFBP1 apart, the former close to the sperm head and the latter in the decapitated tail. We show that lack of Sun5 results in CENTLEIN and PMFBP1 left in the decapitated tail, while disruption of Pmfbp1 results in SUN5 and CENTLEIN left on the detached sperm head. These results demonstrate that CENTLEIN cooperating with SUN5 and PMFBP1 participates in the HTCA assembly and integration of sperm head to the tail, indicating that impairments of CENTLEIN might be associated with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome in humans.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25227-w

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