title: Spata6 is required for normal assembly of the sperm connecting piece and tight head-tail conjunction.
abstract: "Pinhead sperm," or "acephalic sperm," a type of human teratozoospermia, refers to the condition in which ejaculate contains mostly sperm flagella without heads. Family clustering and homogeneity of this syndrome suggests a genetic basis, but the causative genes remain largely unknown. Here we report that Spata6, an evolutionarily conserved testis-specific gene, encodes a protein required for formation of the segmented columns and the capitulum, two major structures of the sperm connecting piece essential for linking the developing flagellum to the head during late spermiogenesis. Inactivation of Spata6 in mice leads to acephalic spermatozoa and male sterility. Our proteomic analyses reveal that SPATA6 is involved in myosin-based microfilament transport through interaction with myosin subunits (e.g., MYL6).
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557;
authors.forename: Shuiqiao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557;
authors.forename: Clifford J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Stratton
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557;
authors.forename: Jianqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557;
authors.forename: Huili
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557;
authors.forename: Bhupal P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Bhetwal
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biogenesis Research, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, University of Hawaii Medical School, Honolulu, HI 96822; and yana@hawaii.edu wyan@medicine.nevada.edu.
authors.forename: Ryuzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yanagimachi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557; Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557 yana@hawaii.edu wyan@medicine.nevada.edu.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013077:Sperm Head / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013082:Sperm Tail / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D011506:Proteins; C484508:Spata6 protein, mouse
keywords: centriole; flagellum; infertility; microtubule; sperm anomaly