1
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Wozniak KL, Bainbridge RE, Summerville DW, Tembo M, Phelps WA, Sauer ML, Wisner BW, Czekalski ME, Pasumarthy S, Hanson ML, Linderman MB, Luu CH, Boehm ME, Sanders SM, Buckley KM, Bain DJ, Nicotra ML, Lee MT, Carlson AE. Zinc protection of fertilized eggs is an ancient feature of sexual reproduction in animals. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000811. [PMID: 32735558 PMCID: PMC7423145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the earliest and most prevalent barriers to successful reproduction is polyspermy, or fertilization of an egg by multiple sperm. To prevent these supernumerary fertilizations, eggs have evolved multiple mechanisms. It has recently been proposed that zinc released by mammalian eggs at fertilization may block additional sperm from entering. Here, we demonstrate that eggs from amphibia and teleost fish also release zinc. Using Xenopus laevis as a model, we document that zinc reversibly blocks fertilization. Finally, we demonstrate that extracellular zinc similarly disrupts early embryonic development in eggs from diverse phyla, including Cnidaria, Echinodermata, and Chordata. Our study reveals that a fundamental strategy protecting human eggs from fertilization by multiple sperm may have evolved more than 650 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine L. Wozniak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Rachel E. Bainbridge
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Dominique W. Summerville
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Maiwase Tembo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Wesley A. Phelps
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Monica L. Sauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Bennett W. Wisner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Madelyn E. Czekalski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Srikavya Pasumarthy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Meghan L. Hanson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Melania B. Linderman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Catherine H. Luu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Madison E. Boehm
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Steven M. Sanders
- Department of Surgery and Immunology, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, and Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Katherine M. Buckley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Daniel J. Bain
- Department of Geology and Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Matthew L. Nicotra
- Department of Surgery and Immunology, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, and Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Miler T. Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Anne E. Carlson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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2
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Ernesto JI, Weigel Muñoz M, Battistone MA, Vasen G, Martínez-López P, Orta G, Figueiras-Fierro D, De la Vega-Beltran JL, Moreno IA, Guidobaldi HA, Giojalas L, Darszon A, Cohen DJ, Cuasnicú PS. CRISP1 as a novel CatSper regulator that modulates sperm motility and orientation during fertilization. J Cell Biol 2015; 210:1213-24. [PMID: 26416967 PMCID: PMC4586743 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201412041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms are critical for successful completion of fertilization. Here, we demonstrate that CRISP1, a sperm protein involved in mammalian fertilization, is also present in the female gamete and capable of modulating key sperm Ca(2+) channels. Specifically, we show that CRISP1 is expressed by the cumulus cells that surround the egg and that fertilization of cumulus-oocyte complexes from CRISP1 knockout females is impaired because of a failure of sperm to penetrate the cumulus. We provide evidence that CRISP1 stimulates sperm orientation by modulating sperm hyperactivation, a vigorous motility required for penetration of the egg vestments. Moreover, patch clamping of sperm revealed that CRISP1 has the ability to regulate CatSper, the principal sperm Ca(2+) channel involved in hyperactivation and essential for fertility. Given the critical role of Ca(2+) for sperm motility, we propose a novel CRISP1-mediated fine-tuning mechanism to regulate sperm hyperactivation and orientation for successful penetration of the cumulus during fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan I Ernesto
- Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Weigel Muñoz
- Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María A Battistone
- Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gustavo Vasen
- Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Martínez-López
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelos 62250, México
| | - Gerardo Orta
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelos 62250, México
| | - Dulce Figueiras-Fierro
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelos 62250, México
| | - José L De la Vega-Beltran
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelos 62250, México
| | | | - Héctor A Guidobaldi
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5016GCA Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Laura Giojalas
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5016GCA Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Alberto Darszon
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelos 62250, México
| | - Débora J Cohen
- Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Patricia S Cuasnicú
- Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
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3
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Amano T, Gascuel J. Expression of odorant receptor family, type 2 OR in the aquatic olfactory cavity of amphibian frog Xenopus tropicalis. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33922. [PMID: 22509266 PMCID: PMC3324471 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2011] [Accepted: 02/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent genome wide in silico analyses discovered a new family (type 2 or family H) of odorant receptors (ORs) in teleost fish and frogs. However, since there is no evidence of the expression of these novel OR genes in olfactory sensory neurons (OSN), it remains unknown if type 2 ORs (OR2) function as odorant receptors. In this study, we examined expression of OR2 genes in the frog Xenopus tropicalis. The overall gene expression pattern is highly complex and differs depending on the gene and developmental stage. RT-PCR analysis in larvae showed that all of the OR2η genes we identified were expressed in the peripheral olfactory system and some were detected in the brain and skin. Whole mount in situ hybridization of the larval olfactory cavity confirmed that at least two OR2η genes so far tested are expressed in the OSN. Because tadpoles are aquatic animals, OR2η genes are probably involved in aquatic olfaction. In adults, OR2η genes are expressed in the nose, brain, and testes to different degrees depending on the genes. OR2η expression in the olfactory system is restricted to the medium cavity, which participates in the detection of water-soluble odorants, suggesting that OR2ηs function as receptors for water-soluble odorants. Moreover, the fact that several OR2ηs are significantly expressed in non-olfactory organs suggests unknown roles in a range of biological processes other than putative odorant receptor functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tosikazu Amano
- CNRS, UMR6265 Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Dijon, France
- INRA, UMR1324 Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Dijon, France
- Université de Bourgogne, UMR Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Dijon, France
| | - Jean Gascuel
- CNRS, UMR6265 Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Dijon, France
- INRA, UMR1324 Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Dijon, France
- Université de Bourgogne, UMR Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Dijon, France
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4
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Burnett LA, Sugiyama H, Bieber AL, Chandler DE. Egg jelly proteins stimulate directed motility in Xenopus laevis sperm. Mol Reprod Dev 2012; 78:450-62. [PMID: 21692128 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.21325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Previously we have shown that extracts from Xenopus egg jelly (egg water) increase the passage of sperm through a porous membrane in a dose-dependent manner. Although this assay has shown that sperm accumulation occurs only in the presence of an egg water gradient, it has not revealed the dynamic features of how Xenopus sperm swim in such gradients. Here, we use video microscopic observations to trace sperm trajectories in a Zigmond chamber. Our results show that Xenopus sperm swim in linear and gently curving paths and only infrequently perform turns. In the presence of an egg water gradient, however, the percent of sperm swimming up the gradient axis and the net distance traveled by each sperm along this axis was increased significantly. There was no change in curvilinear velocity. Rather, the orientation of sperm travel was shifted to more closely match that of the gradient axis. In addition, using a porous filter assay, we demonstrate that the egg water protein allurin, in both purified and recombinant forms, stimulates directed motility of sperm. Finally, we use Oregon Green 488-conjugated allurin to show that this protein binds primarily to the sperm midpiece; binding of allurin to the entire head was observed in a minor subpopulation of sperm. Dose dependence of allurin binding occurred over the 0-1 µg/ml range and correlated well with previously published dose-dependent sperm attraction data. Binding was rapid with a half-time of about 10 sec. These data suggest that egg water proteins bind to sperm and modify sperm-orienting behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey A Burnett
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-4501, USA
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5
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Burnett LA, Washburn CA, Sugiyama H, Xiang X, Olson JH, Al-Anzi B, Bieber AL, Chandler DE. Allurin, an amphibian sperm chemoattractant having implications for mammalian sperm physiology. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 295:1-61. [PMID: 22449486 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394306-4.00007-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Eggs of many species are surrounded by extracellular coats that emit ligands to which conspecific sperm respond by undergoing chemotaxis and changes in metabolism, motility, and acrosomal status in preparation for fertilization. Here we review methods used to measure sperm chemotaxis and focus on recent studies of allurin, a 21-kDa protein belonging to the Cysteine-RIch Secretory Protein (CRISP) family that has chemoattraction activity for both amphibian and mammalian sperm. Allurin is unique in being the first extensively characterized Crisp protein found in the female reproductive tract and is the product of a newly discovered amphibian gene within a gene cluster that has been largely conserved in mammals. Study of its expression, function, and tertiary structure could lead to new insights in the role of Crisp proteins in sperm physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey A Burnett
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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6
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Burnett LA, Anderson DM, Rawls A, Bieber AL, Chandler DE. Mouse sperm exhibit chemotaxis to allurin, a truncated member of the cysteine-rich secretory protein family. Dev Biol 2011; 360:318-28. [PMID: 22008793 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Revised: 09/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/26/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Allurin, a 21 kDa protein isolated from egg jelly of the frog Xenopus laevis, has previously been demonstrated to attract frog sperm in two-chamber and microscopic assays. cDNA cloning and sequencing has shown that allurin is a truncated member of the Cysteine-Rich Secretory Protein (CRISP) family, whose members include mammalian sperm-binding proteins that have been postulated to play roles in spermatogenesis, sperm capacitation and sperm-egg binding in mammals. Here, we show that allurin is a chemoattractant for mouse sperm, as determined by a 2.5-fold stimulation of sperm passage across a porous membrane and by analysis of sperm trajectories within an allurin gradient as observed by time-lapse microscopy. Chemotaxis was accompanied by an overall change in trajectory from circular to linear thereby increasing sperm movement along the gradient axis. Allurin did not increase sperm velocity although it did produce a modest increase in flagellar beat frequency. Oregon Green 488-conjugated allurin was observed to bind to the sub-equatorial region of the mouse sperm head and to the midpiece of the flagellum. These findings demonstrate that sperm have retained the ability to bind and respond to truncated Crisp proteins over 300 million years of vertebrate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey A Burnett
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
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7
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O’Brien ED, Krapf D, Cabada MO, Visconti PE, Arranz SE. Transmembrane adenylyl cyclase regulates amphibian sperm motility through protein kinase A activation. Dev Biol 2011; 350:80-8. [PMID: 21126515 PMCID: PMC4076105 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2010] [Revised: 11/08/2010] [Accepted: 11/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Sperm motility is essential for achieving fertilization. In animals with external fertilization as amphibians, spermatozoa are stored in a quiescent state in the testis. Spermiation to hypotonic fertilization media triggers activation of sperm motility. Bufo arenarum sperm are immotile in artificial seminal plasma (ASP) but acquire in situ flagellar beating upon dilution. In addition to the effect of low osmolarity on sperm motility activation, we report that diffusible factors of the egg jelly coat (EW) regulate motility patterns, switching from in situ to progressive movement. The signal transduction pathway involved in amphibian sperm motility activation is mostly unknown. In the present study, we show a correlation between motility activation triggered by low osmotic pressure and activation of protein kinase A (PKA). Moreover, this is the first study to present strong evidences that point toward a role of a transmembrane adenyl-cyclase (tmAC) in the regulation of amphibian sperm motility through PKA activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma D. O’Brien
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Rosario (CONICET-UNR) and Área Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Argentina
| | - Darío Krapf
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Rosario (CONICET-UNR) and Área Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Argentina
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Marcelo O. Cabada
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Rosario (CONICET-UNR) and Área Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Argentina
| | - Pablo E. Visconti
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Silvia E. Arranz
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Rosario (CONICET-UNR) and Área Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Argentina
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8
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Sugiyama H, Burnett L, Xiang X, Olson J, Willis S, Miao A, Akema T, Bieber AL, Chandler DE. Purification and multimer formation of allurin, a sperm chemoattractant from Xenopus laevis egg jelly. Mol Reprod Dev 2009; 76:527-36. [PMID: 18951371 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.20969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Allurin, a sperm chemoattractant isolated from Xenopus laevis egg jelly, can be purified in one step from an extract of diffusible jelly proteins ("egg water") using a FPLC or HPLC anion exchange column and a multi-step NaCl gradient. Allurin homomultimers were detected by Western blotting with antibodies prepared against the purified protein or peptides within the protein. Allurin multimers were stable and resisted dissociation by SDS and beta-mercaptoethanol. Alkylation of allurin provided evidence for two free sulfhydryl groups but did not eliminate multimer formation, suggesting that intermolecular disulfide bond formation is not required for allurin aggregation. Concentration of egg water was accompanied by a reduction of chemoattractant activity that could not be fully accounted for by homomultimer formation. Rather, the presence of a multiphasic dose-activity curve upon partial purification and formation of hetero-allurin complexes during concentration suggested that egg water may contain allurin-binding proteins that reduce multimer formation and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitoshi Sugiyama
- Department of Physiology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan
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9
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Reddy T, Gibbs GM, Merriner DJ, Kerr JB, O'Bryan MK. Cysteine-rich secretory proteins are not exclusively expressed in the male reproductive tract. Dev Dyn 2009; 237:3313-23. [PMID: 18924239 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.21738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cysteine-RIch Secretory Proteins (CRISPs) are abundantly produced in the male reproductive tract of mammals and within the venom of reptiles and have been shown to regulate ion channel activity. CRISPs, along with the Antigen-5 proteins and the Pathogenesis related-1 (Pr-1) proteins, form the CAP superfamily of proteins. Analyses of EST expression databases are increasingly suggesting that mammalian CRISPs are expressed more widely than in the reproductive tract. We, therefore, conducted a reverse transcription PCR expression profile and immunohistochemical analyses of 16 mouse tissues to define the sites of production of each of the four murine CRISPs. These data showed that each of the CRISPs have distinct and sometimes overlapping expression profiles, typically associated with the male and female reproductive tract, the secretory epithelia of exocrine glands, and immune tissues including the spleen and thymus. These investigations raise the potential for a role for CRISPs in general mammalian physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thulasimala Reddy
- Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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10
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Gibbs GM, Roelants K, O'Bryan MK. The CAP superfamily: cysteine-rich secretory proteins, antigen 5, and pathogenesis-related 1 proteins--roles in reproduction, cancer, and immune defense. Endocr Rev 2008; 29:865-97. [PMID: 18824526 DOI: 10.1210/er.2008-0032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The cysteine-rich secretory proteins, antigen 5, and pathogenesis-related 1 proteins (CAP) superfamily members are found in a remarkable range of organisms spanning each of the animal kingdoms. Within humans and mice, there are 31 and 33 individual family members, respectively, and although many are poorly characterized, the majority show a notable expression bias to the reproductive tract and immune tissues or are deregulated in cancers. CAP superfamily proteins are most often secreted and have an extracellular endocrine or paracrine function and are involved in processes including the regulation of extracellular matrix and branching morphogenesis, potentially as either proteases or protease inhibitors; in ion channel regulation in fertility; as tumor suppressor or prooncogenic genes in tissues including the prostate; and in cell-cell adhesion during fertilization. This review describes mammalian CAP superfamily gene expression profiles, phylogenetic relationships, protein structural properties, and biological functions, and it draws into focus their potential role in health and disease. The nine subfamilies of the mammalian CAP superfamily include: the human glioma pathogenesis-related 1 (GLIPR1), Golgi associated pathogenesis related-1 (GAPR1) proteins, peptidase inhibitor 15 (PI15), peptidase inhibitor 16 (PI16), cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), CRISP LCCL domain containing 1 (CRISPLD1), CRISP LCCL domain containing 2 (CRISPLD2), mannose receptor like and the R3H domain containing like proteins. We conclude that overall protein structural conservation within the CAP superfamily results in fundamentally similar functions for the CAP domain in all members, yet the diversity outside of this core region dramatically alters target specificity and, therefore, the biological consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerard M Gibbs
- Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, 27-31 Wright Street, Clayton 3168, Australia.
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