Abstract
The mitochondrial fusion factors mitofusins 1 and 2 (Mfn1 and Mfn2) and the fission factor dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) were found to be highly expressed in the pubertal and adult rat testis by Northern blot analysis. Immunohistochemistry using specific antisera to Mfn2 and Drp1 revealed a pronounced expression of the fusion and fission factors in the round and elongating spermatids in the seminiferous tubules, suggesting that at precise steps of spermiogenesis (i.e., steps 8–12), spermatid mitochondria are rapidly homogenized by frequent fusion and division. Although physiological relevance of this phenomenon remains to be clarified, a role is proposed for it as an effective means of achieving complete and homogeneous ubiquitination of mitochondria, which has recently been demonstrated to be a mechanism for the elimination of paternal mitochondria during fertilization, based on the fact that the timing of expression of Mfn2 and Drp1 coincides well with that reported for a spermatid-specific ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme.
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