The involvement of methyl transfer reactions and S‐adenosylhomocysteine in the regulation of bovine sperm motility

Abstract

AbstractThe methylation of proteins and phospholipids has been demonstrated in mammalian sperm. The role of these methylation reactions in the regulation of sperm motility is, however, unclear. A combination of agents [adenosine, L‐homocysteine and erythro‐9‐(2‐hydroxyl‐3‐nonyl) adenine (EHNA)] known to increase the level of S‐adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy), a competitive inhibitor of S‐adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)‐mediated methylations, has been shown to inhibit rabbit sperm motility. The level of AdoHcy in response to these agents has, however, not been measured. Therefore, enzymatic protein carboxylmethylation (PCM) and the consequences of its inhibition by elevated intrasperm AdoHcy levels on motility were studied using bovine sperm. Incubation of bovine cauda epididymal sperm with L‐[methyl‐3H]methionine resulted in a linear increase in PCM for up to 2 h. Treatment of sperm with adenosine (0.5 mM), L‐homocysteine (0.5 mM), and EHNA (0.25 mM) produced a dramatic increase in AdoHcy levels after 15 min and a 97% inhibition of PCM after 0.5 h, followed by an inhibition of sperm motility (58% and 97%) after 1 and 2 h. Similar but less marked results were obtained with L‐homocysteine (0.5 mM) alone. Individually, cycloleucine (20 mM), an inhibitor of AdoMet synthetase, and adenosine (0.5 mM) also inhibited PCM (87% and 70%, respectively) after 2 h but had no effect on sperm motility or AdoHcy levels. These studies show for the first time that agents that elevate AdoHcy levels inhibit sperm motility. This, however, leaves open the question of whether protein carboxylmethylation or other methyl transfer reactions, eg, involving phospholipid, might be critical to motility inhibition by AdoHcy. Thus, the mechanism by which AdoHcy inhibits sperm motility remains unclear.