Abstract
As a result of a high-throughput in situ hybridization screening for adult mouse testes, we found that the mRNA for Tmco5 is expressed in round and elongating spermatids. Tmco5 belongs to the Tmco (Transmembrane and coiled-coil domains) gene family and has a coiled-coil domain in the N-terminal and a transmembrane domain in the C-terminal region. A monoclonal antibody raised against recombinant TMCO5 revealed that the protein is expressed exclusively in the elongating spermatids of step 9 to 12 and is localized to the manchette, a transiently emerging construction, which predominantly consists of cytoskeleton microtubules and actin filaments. This structure serves in the transport of Golgi-derived non-acrosomal vesicles. Moreover, induced expression of TMCO5 in CHO cells resulted in the co-localization of TMCO5 with β-tubulin besides the reorganization of the Golgi apparatus. Judging from the results and considering the domain structure of TMCO5, we assume that Tmco5 may have a role in vesicle transport along the manchette.
Highlights
Gametes play critical roles in inheriting genetic information from generation to generation
Among seven Tmco family genes, named Tmco1 to Tmco7, three family genes including Tmco2, Tmco5 and Tmco7 are classified into a group of having a single transmembrane in the C-terminal region
The mRNA for Tmco5 was detected in the round and elongating spermatids
Summary
Gametes play critical roles in inheriting genetic information from generation to generation. Sperms are specially organized vehicles to convey and pass the information to eggs. Spermatogenesis occurs in seminiferous tubules of adult testes, in which spermatogonia, the male germline stem cells, give rise to spermatocytes, spermatids, and to immature spermatozoa. The spermatozoa undergo functional maturation via exposure to an acidic microenvironment and a variety of secretory proteins in the organ [2]. The final stage of the spermatogenesis, spermatids that have completed meiosis differentiate into spermatozoa with several well-defined reactions. Condensation of chromatin is caused by changing chromatin binding proteins from histones to transition proteins and to protamine [3].
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