title: Changes of murine sperm phospholipid composition during epididymal maturation determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
abstract: After leaving the testis, spermatozoa undergo several important steps of biochemical maturation during the passage through the epididymis, increasing their motility and fertilizing ability. These changes comprise (among others) the modification of the phospholipid composition of the sperm membrane. This process is thought to be important for the achievement of motility and fertilizing capacity. The lipids of the sperm membrane are characterized by a significant content of unsaturated fatty acyl residues, resulting in a high sensitivity against oxidative stress. This is evidenced by the appearance of lysolipids, for example, lysophosphatidylcholine, which acts like a detergent and is normally present in only very small amounts in biological membranes. The epididymis represents a tubular system comprising three main parts (caput, corpus, and cauda), through which the spermatozoa are consecutively transported undergoing distinct maturation stages. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, we established three striking differences in the lipid composition of murine spermatozoa from the different epididymal regions: in comparison to the caput sperm, sperm from the cauda are characterized by (1) a higher degree of unsaturation (PC 18:0/22:5 and 18:0/22:6 vs. 18:0/20:4 and 18:0/18:1), (2) an enhanced plasmalogen content, and (3) an enhanced content of lysolipids. These changes are likely to be of physiological relevance and potentially useful as diagnostic markers of sperm maturation and acquisition of motility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Training Centre of the European Academy of Andrology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: susanne.pyttel@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pyttel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nimptsch
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Böttger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zschörnig
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jakop
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wegener
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Training Centre of the European Academy of Andrology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Paasch
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schiller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004822:Epididymis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010743:Phospholipids
keywords: Epididymal maturation; Lysophospholipids; MALDI-TOF MS; Murine epididymal sperm; Phospholipids; Plasmalogens