Sperm motility-activating complex formed by t-complex distorters.
Transmission ratio distortion is a dramatic example of non-Mendelian transmission. In mice, t-haplotype males produce dysfunctional +-sperm and normal t-sperm, leading to transmission in favor of t-sperm. Genetic studies have indicated that the t-complex responder locus, Tcr, rescues t-sperm but not +-sperm from defective products of t-complex distorter loci, Tcds. Light chain 1 (LC1) and LC3 from sea urchin sperm outer arm dynein have sequence similarities to Tctex2 and Tctex1, respectively, both of which are wild-type products of Tcds. We show here that LC1 and LC3 are able to make a 1:1 complex. Since Tcr is a member of the Smok (sperm motility kinase) family and LC1 is phosphorylated at the activation of sperm motility in a cAMP-dependent manner, this complex in a dynein motor molecule might be a direct target of Smok/Tcr kinase in a signal cascade that regulates sperm motility. Thus, we designate it as Smoac (sperm motility activating complex).
Ogawa
Kazuo
K
Center for Radioisotope Facilities, Okazaki National Research Institutes, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan. ogawaai@nibb.ac.jp
Inaba
Kazuo
K
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004398:Dyneins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013081:Sperm Motility; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D056427:t-Complex Genome Region
D018076:DNA, Complementary; C533386:Dynlt1b protein, mouse; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C533389:Tcte3 protein, mouse; C116196:PPP1R11 protein, human; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D004398:Dyneins