Phosphoinositide signaling in sperm development.
Phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs)1are membrane lipids with crucial roles during cell morphogenesis, including the establishment of cytoskeletal organization, membrane trafficking, cell polarity, cell-cycle control and signaling. Recent studies in mice (Mus musculus), fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and other organisms have defined germ cell intrinsic requirements for these lipids and their regulatory enzymes in multiple aspects of sperm development. In particular, PIP levels are crucial in germline stem cell maintenance, spermatogonial proliferation and survival, spermatocyte cytokinesis, spermatid polarization, sperm tail formation, nuclear shaping, and production of mature, motile sperm. Here, we briefly review the stages of spermatogenesis and discuss the roles of PIPs and their regulatory enzymes in male germ cell development.
Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G OA4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada. Electronic address: julie.brill@sickkids.ca.
Julie A
JA
Brill
Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G OA4, Canada. Electronic address: sukriye.yildirim@web.de.
Sukriye
S
Yildirim
Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G OA4, Canada. Electronic address: lala.fabian@utoronto.ca.
Lacramioara
L
Fabian
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D008938:Mitosis; D008954:Models, Biological; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
D010716:Phosphatidylinositols
Flies; Male germ cell; Mice; Phosphatidylinositol phosphate; Spermatogenesis; Spermiogenesis