title: Role of human prostasomes in the activation of spermatozoa.
abstract: Prostasomes are small vesicles of prostatic origin contained in human semen. Their composition is peculiar under many aspects. Cholesterol is abundant and many proteins are endowed with enzymatic or other activities. The function of prostasomes has been amply debated and several hypotheses have been put forward. The liquefaction of semen, spermatozoa motility, antibacterial activity and immunological functions have been related to prostasomes. Under certain aspects, prostasomes resemble synaptosomes. The fusion of prostasomes to spermatozoa enriches spermatozoa with cholesterol and causes bursts of cytoplasmic sperm calcium. The interaction of spermatozoa and prostasomes should be limited to vagina since prostasomes are immobile and do not follow spermatozoa in the superior female genital tract. Calcium bursts would increase spermatozoa motility, where cholesterol would decapacitate spermatozoa, so preventing untimely activation. Since spermatozoa receive many different molecules from prostasomes, additional effects are also possible. Prostasomes makes spermatozoa more apt to be activated by progesterone in the proximity of the ovum. Therefore, the fusion between spermatozoa and prostasomes would influence spermatozoa behaviour under many aspects and might be relevant for fecundation. The richness of molecular species in prostasomes is amazing and these small vesicles are expected to lead to many more discoveries in the field of human reproduction.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Sezione di Biochimica, Universitá di Perugia, Perugia, Italia. arienti@unipg.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arienti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carlini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saccardi
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Palmerini
mesh_terms: D020101:Acrosome Reaction; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D015388:Organelles; D011467:Prostate / Q000502:physiology*; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol