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. 2021 Jul;595(7869):746-750.
doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03742-6. Epub 2021 Jul 5.

Structure of a mammalian sperm cation channel complex

Shiyi Lin #  1   2   3 , Meng Ke #  1   2   3 , Yuqi Zhang  1   2   3 , Zhen Yan  1   2   3 , Jianping Wu  4   5   6
Affiliations

Structure of a mammalian sperm cation channel complex

Shiyi Lin et al. Nature. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

The cation channel of sperm (CatSper) is essential for sperm motility and fertility1,2. CatSper comprises the pore-forming proteins CATSPER1-4 and multiple auxiliary subunits, including CATSPERβ, γ, δ, ε, ζ, and EFCAB91,3-9. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the CatSper complex isolated from mouse sperm. In the extracellular view, CATSPER1-4 conform to the conventional domain-swapped voltage-gated ion channel fold10, following a counterclockwise arrangement. The auxiliary subunits CATSPERβ, γ, δ and ε-each of which contains a single transmembrane segment and a large extracellular domain-constitute a pavilion-like structure that stabilizes the entire complex through interactions with CATSPER4, 1, 3 and 2, respectively. Our EM map reveals several previously uncharacterized components, exemplified by the organic anion transporter SLCO6C1. We name this channel-transporter ultracomplex the CatSpermasome. The assembly and organization details of the CatSpermasome presented here lay the foundation for the development of CatSpermasome-related treatments for male infertility and non-hormonal contraceptives.

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References

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