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Cyclin-CDK Complexes are Key Controllers of Capacitation-Dependent Actin Dynamics in Mammalian Spermatozoa. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20174236. [PMID: 31470670 PMCID: PMC6747110 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20174236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian spermatozoa are infertile immediately after ejaculation and need to undergo a functional maturation process to acquire the competence to fertilize the female egg. During this process, called capacitation, the actin cytoskeleton dramatically changes its organization. First, actin fibers polymerize, forming a network over the anterior part of the sperm cells head, and then it rapidly depolymerizes and disappears during the exocytosis of the acrosome content (the acrosome reaction (AR)). Here, we developed a computational model representing the actin dynamics (AD) process on mature spermatozoa. In particular, we represented all the molecular events known to be involved in AD as a network of nodes linked by edges (the interactions). After the network enrichment, using an online resource (STRING), we carried out the statistical analysis on its topology, identifying the controllers of the system and validating them in an experiment of targeted versus random attack to the network. Interestingly, among them, we found that cyclin-dependent kinase (cyclin–CDK) complexes are acting as stronger controllers. This finding is of great interest since it suggests the key role that cyclin–CDK complexes could play in controlling AD during sperm capacitation, leading us to propose a new and interesting non-genomic role for these molecules.
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Bernabò N, Machado-Simoes J, Valbonetti L, Ramal-Sanchez M, Capacchietti G, Fontana A, Zappacosta R, Palestini P, Botto L, Marchisio M, Lanuti P, Ciulla M, Di Stefano A, Fioroni E, Spina M, Barboni B. Graphene Oxide increases mammalian spermatozoa fertilizing ability by extracting cholesterol from their membranes and promoting capacitation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8155. [PMID: 31148593 PMCID: PMC6544623 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44702-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Graphene Oxide (GO) is a widely used biomaterial with an amazing variety of applications in biology and medicine. Recently, we reported the ability of GO to improve the in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in swine, a validated animal model with a high predictive value for human fertility. For that reason, here we characterized the mechanisms involved in this positive interaction by adopting an experimental approach combining biological methods (confocal microscopy analysis on single cell, flow cytometry on cell populations and co-incubation with epithelial oviductal cells), physical-chemical techniques (Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermogravimetric Analysis), and chemical methods (mass spectrometry and lipid measurement). As a result, we propose a model in which GO is able to extract cholesterol from the spermatozoa membrane without causing any detrimental effect. In this way, the cholesterol extraction promotes a change in membrane chemical-physical properties that could positively affect male gamete function, modulating sperm signalling function and increasing in this way the fertilizing potential, without losing the ability to physiologically interact with the female environment. In conclusion, these data seem to suggest new intriguing possibilities in engineering sperm membrane for improving assisted reproduction technologies outcomes, even in human medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Bernabò
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy.
| | - Juliana Machado-Simoes
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Luca Valbonetti
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Marina Ramal-Sanchez
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Giulia Capacchietti
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy
| | - Antonella Fontana
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. d'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Romina Zappacosta
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. d'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paola Palestini
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, 20900, Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Botto
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, 20900, Monza, Italy
| | - Marco Marchisio
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy.,Center on Aging Sciences and Translational Medicine (CeSI-MeT), University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paola Lanuti
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy.,Center on Aging Sciences and Translational Medicine (CeSI-MeT), University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Michele Ciulla
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. d'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Antonio Di Stefano
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. d'Annunzio", Via dei Vestini, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Elena Fioroni
- Laboratorio Analisi Dr. Fioroni, Viale A. de Gasperi, 19, 63074, San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy
| | - Michele Spina
- Laboratorio Analisi Dr. Fioroni, Viale A. de Gasperi, 19, 63074, San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy
| | - Barbara Barboni
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, 64100, Teramo, Italy
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Bernabò N, Valbonetti L, Greco L, Capacchietti G, Ramal Sanchez M, Palestini P, Botto L, Mattioli M, Barboni B. Aminopurvalanol A, a Potent, Selective, and Cell Permeable Inhibitor of Cyclins/Cdk Complexes, Causes the Reduction of in Vitro Fertilizing Ability of Boar Spermatozoa, by Negatively Affecting the Capacitation-Dependent Actin Polymerization. Front Physiol 2017; 8:1097. [PMID: 29312003 PMCID: PMC5744433 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.01097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The adoption of high-througput technologies demonstrated that in mature spermatozoa are present proteins that are thought to be not present or active in sperm cells, such as those involved in control of cell cycle. Here, by using an in silico approach based on the application of networks theory, we found that Cyclins/Cdk complexes could play a central role in signal transduction active during capacitation. Then, we tested this hypothesis in the vitro model. With this approach, spermatozoa were incubated under capacitating conditions in control conditions (CTRL) or in the presence of Aminopurvalanol A a potent, selective and cell permeable inhibitor of Cyclins/Cdk complexes at different concentrations (2, 10, and 20 μM). We found that this treatment caused dose-dependent inhibition of sperm fertilizing ability. We attribute this event to the loss of acrosome integrity due to the inhibition of physiological capacitation-dependent actin polymerization, rather than to a detrimental effect on membrane lipid remodeling or on other signaling pathways such as tubulin reorganization or MAPKs activation. In our opinion, these data could revamp the knowledge on biochemistry of sperm capacitation and could suggest new perspectives in studying male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Bernabò
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Luca Valbonetti
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Luana Greco
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Giulia Capacchietti
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Marina Ramal Sanchez
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Paola Palestini
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Botto
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Mauro Mattioli
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy.,Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Teramo, Italy
| | - Barbara Barboni
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
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Networks Models of Actin Dynamics during Spermatozoa Postejaculatory Life: A Comparison among Human-Made and Text Mining-Based Models. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 2016:9795409. [PMID: 27642606 PMCID: PMC5013236 DOI: 10.1155/2016/9795409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Here we realized a networks-based model representing the process of actin remodelling that occurs during the acquisition of fertilizing ability of human spermatozoa (HumanMade_ActinSpermNetwork, HM_ASN). Then, we compared it with the networks provided by two different text mining tools: Agilent Literature Search (ALS) and PESCADOR. As a reference, we used the data from the online repository Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), referred to the actin dynamics in a more general biological context. We found that HM_ALS and the networks from KEGG data shared the same scale-free topology following the Barabasi-Albert model, thus suggesting that the information is spread within the network quickly and efficiently. On the contrary, the networks obtained by ALS and PESCADOR have a scale-free hierarchical architecture, which implies a different pattern of information transmission. Also, the hubs identified within the networks are different: HM_ALS and KEGG networks contain as hubs several molecules known to be involved in actin signalling; ALS was unable to find other hubs than “actin,” whereas PESCADOR gave some nonspecific result. This seems to suggest that the human-made information retrieval in the case of a specific event, such as actin dynamics in human spermatozoa, could be a reliable strategy.
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Bernabò N, Greco L, Ordinelli A, Mattioli M, Barboni B. Capacitation-Related Lipid Remodeling of Mammalian Spermatozoa Membrane Determines the Final Fate of Male Gametes: A Computational Biology Study. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2016; 19:712-21. [PMID: 26565605 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2015.0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
To become fully fertile, mammalian spermatozoa must undergo a complex process of biochemical maturation within the female genital tract, which determines a marked lipid remodeling (LR) of membranes. Here, we represent this process as a biological network, which is a graph constituted by nodes (the molecules involved in LR) and by edges (their interactions). As a result, we found that LR network has a scale-free and small world topology. This implies that it is robust against random damage and that it allows a fast and specific transmission of information. In addition, the hubs in the network allow identification of the control mechanisms involved in membrane-related signaling, which could concur in determining the fate of ejaculated spermatozoa. Interestingly, different pathways involved in LR (maintenance of functional incompetence, reaching of fertilizing ability, apoptosis) are overlapped and some molecules take part in different signalling cascades; thus their role in sperm biology needs to be interpreted in a more large context. In addition, it was possible to differentiate, either based on their topological and biological characteristics, the molecules acting as global or local controller in LR. These findings may contribute to the understanding of capacitation-related signaling and of sperm physiopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Bernabò
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo , Teramo, Italy
| | - Luana Greco
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo , Teramo, Italy
| | | | - Mauro Mattioli
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo , Teramo, Italy
| | - Barbara Barboni
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo , Teramo, Italy
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Bernabò N, Agostino RD, Ordinelli A, Mattioli M, Barboni B. The maturation of murine spermatozoa membranes within the epididymis, a computational biology perspective. Syst Biol Reprod Med 2016; 62:299-308. [PMID: 27586844 DOI: 10.1080/19396368.2016.1205679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
To become fertile, mammalian spermatozoa require completing a complex biochemical maturation that begins in the testis and ends within the female oviduct. Here, we paid attention to the events occurring at the membrane level during the epididymal transit. Indeed, in the epididymis, the molecular composition and the physical-chemical proprieties of sperm membranes markedly change, with functional cross talking among the spermatozoa, the epithelium, and the luminal content (particularly the epididymosomes). To study this process, we undertook a biological networks study, representing the involved molecules as nodes and their interactions as links. The analysis of network topology revealed that it has a scale free and small world architecture and it is robust against random failure. That assures a fast and efficient transmission of information and it leads to identifying the molecules exerting a higher level of control on the system, among which cholesterol plays a pivotal role. The reactome enrichment analysis allowed the reconstruction of the biochemical pathways involved in sperm epididymal maturation and STRING analysis permitted the identification of molecular events possibly involved in that process. In conclusion, this approach allows inferring interesting information, thus contributing to the knowledge on this process and suggesting staring points for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Bernabò
- a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , University of Teramo , Teramo , Italy
| | | | | | - Mauro Mattioli
- a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , University of Teramo , Teramo , Italy
| | - Barbara Barboni
- a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , University of Teramo , Teramo , Italy
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Bernabò N, Ordinelli A, Di Agostino R, Mattioli M, Barboni B. Network analyses of sperm-egg recognition and binding: ready to rethink fertility mechanisms? OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2015; 18:740-53. [PMID: 25454512 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2014.0128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The rapid growth of published literature makes biomedical text mining increasingly invaluable for unpacking implicit knowledge hidden in unstructured text. We employed biomedical text mining and biological networks analyses to research the process of sperm egg recognition and binding (SERB). We selected from the literature the molecules expressed either on spermatozoa or on oocytes thought to be involved in SERB and, using an automated literature search software (Agilent Literature Search), we realized a network, SERBN, characterized by a hierarchical scale free and a small world topology. We used an integrated approach, either based on selection of hubs or by a cluster analysis, to discern the key molecules of SERB. We found that in most cases some of them are not directly situated on spermatozoa and oocyte, but are dispersed in oviductal fluid or embedded in exosomes present in the perivitelline space. To confirm and validate our results, we performed further analyses using STRING and Reactome FI software. Our findings underscore that the fertility is not a property of gametes in isolation, but rather depends on the functional integrity of the entire reproductive system. These observations collectively underscore the importance of integrative biology in exploring biological systems and in rethinking of fertility mechanisms in the light of this innovative approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Bernabò
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo , Teramo, Italy
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8
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Bernabò N, Barboni B, Maccarrone M. The biological networks in studying cell signal transduction complexity: The examples of sperm capacitation and of endocannabinoid system. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2014; 11:11-21. [PMID: 25379139 PMCID: PMC4212279 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2014.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular signal transduction is a complex phenomenon, which plays a central role in cell surviving and adaptation. The great amount of molecular data to date present in literature, together with the adoption of high throughput technologies, on the one hand, made available to scientists an enormous quantity of information, on the other hand, failed to provide a parallel increase in the understanding of biological events. In this context, a new discipline arose, the systems biology, aimed to manage the information with a computational modeling-based approach. In particular, the use of biological networks has allowed the making of huge progress in this field. Here we discuss two possible application of the use of biological networks to explore cell signaling: the study of the architecture of signaling systems that cooperate in determining the acquisition of a complex cellular function (as it is the case of the process of activation of spermatozoa) and the organization of a single specific signaling systems expressed by different cells in different tissues (i.e. the endocannabinoid system). In both the cases we have found that the networks follow a scale free and small world topology, likely due to the evolutionary advantage of robustness against random damages, fastness and specific of information processing, and easy navigability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Bernabò
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Piazza Aldo Moro 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy
| | - Barbara Barboni
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Piazza Aldo Moro 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy
| | - Mauro Maccarrone
- Center of Integrated Research, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy ; European Center for Brain Research (CERC), Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00143 Rome, Italy
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Cacciola G, Chioccarelli T, Altucci L, Viggiano A, Fasano S, Pierantoni R, Cobellis G. Nuclear size as estrogen-responsive chromatin quality parameter of mouse spermatozoa. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 193:201-9. [PMID: 23973938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Revised: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 07/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Recently, we have investigated the endocannabinoid involvement in chromatin remodeling events occurring in male spermatids. Indeed, we have demonstrated that genetic inactivation of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (Cnr1) negatively influences chromatin remodeling mechanisms, by reducing histone displacement and indices of sperm chromatin quality (chromatin condensation and DNA integrity). Conversely, Cnr1 knock-out (Cnr1(-/-)) male mice, treated with estrogens, replaced histones and rescued chromatin condensation as well as DNA integrity. In the present study, by exploiting Cnr1(+/+), Cnr(+/-) and Cnr1(-/-) epididymal sperm samples, we show that histone retention directly correlates with low values of sperm chromatin quality indices determining sperm nuclear size elongation. Moreover, we demonstrate that estrogens, by promoting histone displacement and chromatin condensation rescue, are able to efficiently reduce the greater nuclear length observed in Cnr1(-/-) sperm. As a consequence of our results, we suggest that nucleus length may be used as a morphological parameter useful to screen out spermatozoa with low chromatin quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Cacciola
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Bottazzi, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
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Cacciola G, Chioccarelli T, Fasano S, Pierantoni R, Cobellis G. Estrogens and spermiogenesis: new insights from type 1 cannabinoid receptor knockout mice. Int J Endocrinol 2013; 2013:501350. [PMID: 24324492 PMCID: PMC3845505 DOI: 10.1155/2013/501350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is a complex mechanism which allows the production of male gametes; it consists of mitotic, meiotic, and differentiation phases. Spermiogenesis is the terminal differentiation process during which haploid round spermatids undergo several biochemical and morphological changes, including extensive remodelling of chromatin and nuclear shape. Spermiogenesis is under control of endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine factors, like gonadotropins and testosterone. More recently, emerging pieces of evidence are suggesting that, among these factors, estrogens may have a role. To date, this is a matter of debate and concern because of the agonistic and antagonistic estrogenic effects that environmental chemicals may have on animal and human with damaging outcome on fertility. In this review, we summarize data which fuel this debate, with a particular attention to our recent results, obtained using type 1 cannabinoid receptor knockout male mice as animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Cacciola
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Bottazzi, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Teresa Chioccarelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Bottazzi, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Silvia Fasano
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Bottazzi, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Riccardo Pierantoni
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Bottazzi, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
- *Riccardo Pierantoni:
| | - Gilda Cobellis
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Bottazzi, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
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Chianese R, Ciaramella V, Scarpa D, Fasano S, Pierantoni R, Meccariello R. Endocannabinoids and endovanilloids: a possible balance in the regulation of the testicular GnRH signalling. Int J Endocrinol 2013; 2013:904748. [PMID: 24072997 PMCID: PMC3773452 DOI: 10.1155/2013/904748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 07/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive functions are regulated both at central (brain) and gonadal levels. In this respect, the endocannabinoid system (eCS) has a very influential role. Interestingly, the characterization of eCS has taken many advantages from the usage of animal models different from mammals. Therefore, this review is oriented to summarize the main pieces of evidence regarding eCS coming from the anuran amphibian Rana esculenta, with particular interest to the morphofunctional relationship between eCS and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). Furthermore, a novel role for endovanilloids in the regulation of a testicular GnRH system will be also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna Chianese
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale Sezione “F. Bottazzi,” Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Vincenza Ciaramella
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale Sezione “F. Bottazzi,” Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Donatella Scarpa
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale Sezione “F. Bottazzi,” Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Silvia Fasano
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale Sezione “F. Bottazzi,” Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Riccardo Pierantoni
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale Sezione “F. Bottazzi,” Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy
- *Riccardo Pierantoni:
| | - Rosaria Meccariello
- Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie e del Benessere, Università di Napoli Parthenope, Via Medina 40, 80133 Napoli, Italy
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Oddi S, Bernabò N, Di Tommaso M, Angelucci CB, Bisicchia E, Mattioli M, Maccarrone M. DNA uptake in swine sperm: Effect of plasmid topology and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin-mediated cholesterol depletion. Mol Reprod Dev 2012; 79:853-60. [DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2012] [Accepted: 10/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Bernabò N, Palestini P, Chiarini M, Maccarrone M, Mattioli M, Barboni B. Endocannabinoid-binding CB1 and TRPV1 receptors as modulators of sperm capacitation. Commun Integr Biol 2012; 5:68-70. [PMID: 22482014 DOI: 10.4161/cib.18118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian spermatozoa reach the ability to fertilize only after they complete a complex series of physical-chemical modification, the capacitation. Recently, the endocannabinoid-binding type-1cannabinoid receptor (CB1) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel have been proposed to play a key role in the control of capacitation. In particular CB1, acting via a Gi protein/cAMP/PKA pathway, maintains low cAMP levels in early stages of post ejaculatory life of male gametes. By this way it promotes the maintenance of membrane stability, thus avoiding the premature fusion of plasma membrane (PM) and outer acrosome membrane (OAM), which is mandatory for the exocytosis of acrosome content. TRPV1, on the contrary, becomes active during the latest stages of capacitation, and allows the rapid increase in intracellular calcium concentration that leads to the removal of the F-actin network interposed between PM and OAM, leading to their fusion and, ultimately, to the acrosome reaction.
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