title: A C. elegans sperm TRP protein required for sperm-egg interactions during fertilization.
abstract: Fertilization, a critical step in animal reproduction, is triggered by a series of specialized sperm-egg interactions. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fertilization are not well understood. Here, we identify a sperm-enriched C. elegans TRPC homolog, TRP-3. Mutations in trp-3 lead to sterility in both hermaphrodites and males due to a defect in their sperm. trp-3 mutant sperm are motile, but fail to fertilize oocytes after gamete contact. TRP-3 is initially localized in intracellular vesicles, and then translocates to the plasma membrane during sperm activation. This translocation coincides with a marked increase in store-operated calcium entry, providing an in vivo mechanism for the regulation of TRP-3 activity. As C. elegans oocytes lack egg coats, our data suggest that some TRPC family channels might function to mediate calcium influx during sperm-egg plasma membrane interactions leading to fertilization.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 USA.
authors.forename: X-Z Shawn
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Sternberg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000502:physiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015220:Calcium Channels; C477118:spe-41 protein, C elegans; D002118:Calcium