title: Substrates for endogenous metabolism by mature boar spermatozoa.
abstract: Washed boar spermatozoa incubated in the absence of exogenous substrates maintained a high energy charge potential (ECP) for at least 10 h. Addition of bromopyruvate, an inhibitor of stage 2 of the glycolytic pathway, at any time during the incubation caused an immediate decrease in the ECP, indicating that the mobilization of endogenous compounds requires this section of the pathway for the production of lactate, the major mitochondrial substrate for ATP production. Some of the sources of the metabolic substrates have been identified, by NMR and metabolic studies, as di- or triglycerides, to produce glycerol, and membrane phospholipids for the production of glycerol 3-phosphate. Acetylcarnitine contributes acetyl groups early in the incubation; glycerylphosphorylcholine is degraded to glycerol 3-phosphate and choline after about 5 h, and acetate also accumulates after about 5 h. The presence of phosphorylcholine and phosphorylethanolamine later in the incubation indicates that phospholipids are also degraded to glycerol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Bubb
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004075:Diglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005990:Glycerol / Q000378:metabolism; D006019:Glycolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011773:Pyruvates / Q000494:pharmacology; D012503:Saponins / Q000378:metabolism; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine / Q000378:metabolism*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D004075:Diglycerides; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010743:Phospholipids; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex; D011773:Pyruvates; D012503:Saponins; D014280:Triglycerides; D019344:Lactic Acid; C017092:bromopyruvate; D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D005990:Glycerol