title: Cloning and functional expression of a cyclic-nucleotide-gated channel from mammalian sperm.
abstract: Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels serve as downstream targets of signalling pathways in vertebrate photoreceptor cells and olfactory sensory neurons (see ref. 1 for review). Ca2+ ions that enter through CNG channels intimately control these signalling pathways by regulating synthesis or hydrolysis of cyclic nucleotides, and by decreasing ligand sensitivity of CNG channels. Several lines of evidence suggest that cyclic nucleotides and Ca2+ play important roles in chemotaxis of invertebrate sperm and fertilization (see ref. 9 for review), whereas their mechanisms of action in vertebrate sperm are largely unknown. Here we report the cloning and functional expression of a novel CNG channel from bovine testis. The channel polypeptide was functionally localized in sperm, but is also specifically expressed in cone photoreceptor cells. These channels might be involved in chemotaxis of sperm by controlling Ca2+ entry through a cyclic-nucleotide signalling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biologische Informationsverarbeitung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weyand
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Godde
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frings
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Altenhofen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hatt
authors.forename: U B
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Kaupp
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002633:Chemotaxis; D002645:Chickens; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004594:Electrophysiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007477:Ions; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007473:Ion Channels; D007477:Ions; D006152:Cyclic GMP