Single cell imaging reveals that the motility regulator speract induces a flagellar alkalinization that precedes and is independent of Ca 2+  influx in sea urchin spermatozoa | Zendy

González-Cota Ana Laura | Zendy; Silva Pedro Ângelo | Zendy; Carneiro Jorge | Zendy; Darszon Alberto | Zendy

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Single cell imaging reveals that the motility regulator speract induces a flagellar alkalinization that precedes and is independent of Ca 2+ influx in sea urchin spermatozoa

Author(s) -

González-Cota Ana Laura,

Silva Pedro Ângelo,

Carneiro Jorge,

Darszon Alberto

Publication year - 2015

Publication title -

febs letters

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593

H-Index - 257

eISSN - 1873-3468

pISSN - 0014-5793

DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.06.024

Subject(s) - sea urchin , flagellum , motility , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , sperm , chemotaxis , sperm motility , polyspermy , biophysics , biochemistry , botany , receptor , gene , embryo , in vitro fertilisation

Speract, a peptide from the egg jelly coat of certain sea urchin species, modulates sperm motility through a signaling pathway involving several ionic fluxes leading to pHi and [Ca 2+ ]i increases. [Ca 2+ ]i oscillations in the flagellum regulate its beating pattern modulating sperm swimming. Recent evidence showed the importance of pHi in controlling Ca 2+ influx and chemotaxis. However, spatio‐temporal characterization of the flagellar pHi increase triggered by speract, and its correlation to that of [Ca 2+ ]i is lacking. Here, we show for the first time in single sea urchin spermatozoa that the speract‐induced flagellar pHi increase precedes and is independent of [Ca 2+ ]i increase. Our results support a leading role of pHi in modulating the Ca 2+ signals that govern sperm swimming.

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