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Comment
. 2015 May-Jun;17(3):444-6.
doi: 10.4103/1008-682X.142145.

Is PAWP the "real" sperm factor?

Michail Nomikos  1 , Karl Swann, F Anthony Lai
Affiliations
Comment

Is PAWP the "real" sperm factor?

Michail Nomikos et al. Asian J Androl. 2015 May-Jun.

Abstract

Mammalian embryo development is initiated by intracellular Ca2+ oscillations that result in oocyte activation following gamete membrane fusion. It is widely believed that oocyte Ca2+ oscillations are triggered by a sperm-specific protein, phospholipase C-zeta (PLCζ) that activates InsP3 production leading to repetitive Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. However, a recent report in the FASEB Journal by Aarabi et al. challenges this view by proposing postacrosomal WW domain-binding protein (PAWP) as another sperm-derived protein that can also initiate Ca2+ oscillations and zygotic development at fertilization. Here we discuss these new findings and examine the evidence suggesting PAWP as the "real" sperm factor.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of known mechanisms of action of the sperm proteins, PLCζ (left side) and PAWP (right side) in mammalian oocytes. ER: endoplasmic reticulum; PIP2: phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate; IP3: inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; PAWP: postacrosomal WW domain-binding protein; PLCζ: phospholipase C zeta.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

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