title: Cyclic ADP-ribose signaling in sea urchin gametes: metabolism in spermatozoa.
abstract: The molecular mechanism that initiates Ca2+ signaling in sea urchin egg fertilization has not yet been clarified. To determine whether sea urchin sperm may generate and possibly supply cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) as a Ca2+-releasing factor in the course of sea urchin egg fertilization, we determined cADPR content and the capacity for cADPR synthesis in sea urchin sperm. cADPR content was determined using the sea urchin egg homogenate Ca2+-release bioassay combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We found that sperm homogenates synthesized cADPR from beta-NAD but did not synthesize cADPR when alpha-NAD was the substrate. The identity of cADPR generated by sperm homogenates was verified by HPLC analysis, use of specific Ca2+-release antagonists, and homologous desensitization of the sea urchin egg homogenate Ca2+-release bioassay. The ambient content of cADPR was approximately 0.3 nmol cADPR/g wet wt sea urchin sperm. Our results show that sperm can synthesize cADPR and that they contain cADPR levels comparable to other tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mayo Clinic, Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Chini
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chini
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Dousa
mesh_terms: D000246:Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D036563:Cyclic ADP-Ribose; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D036563:Cyclic ADP-Ribose; D000246:Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose