Evolutionarily Conserved Sperm Factors, DCST1 and DCST2, Are Required for Gamete Fusion

Overview

Journal Elife

Specialty Biology

Date 2021 Apr 19

PMID 33871360

Citations 37

Authors

Naokazu Inoue

Yoshihisa Hagihara

Ikuo Wada

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

To trigger gamete fusion, spermatozoa need to activate the molecular machinery in which sperm IZUMO1 and oocyte JUNO (IZUMO1R) interaction plays a critical role in mammals. Although a set of factors involved in this process has recently been identified, no common factor that can function in both vertebrates and invertebrates has yet been reported. Here, we first demonstrate that the evolutionarily conserved factors dendrocyte expressed seven transmembrane protein domain-containing 1 (DCST1) and dendrocyte expressed seven transmembrane protein domain-containing 2 (DCST2) are essential for sperm-egg fusion in mice, as proven by gene disruption and complementation experiments. We also found that the protein stability of another gamete fusion-related sperm factor, SPACA6, is differently regulated by DCST1/2 and IZUMO1. Thus, we suggest that spermatozoa ensure proper fertilization in mammals by integrating various molecular pathways, including an evolutionarily conserved system that has developed as a result of nearly one billion years of evolution.

Citing Articles

Decoding the Genes Orchestrating Egg and Sperm Fusion Reactions and Their Roles in Fertility.

Khan R, Azhar M, Umair M Biomedicines. 2025; 12(12.

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Selective regulation of aspartyl intramembrane protease activity by calnexin.

Contreras W, Groenendyk J, Gentzel M, Schonberg P, Buchholz F, Michalak M Cell Mol Life Sci. 2024; 81(1):441.

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Deep learning insights into the architecture of the mammalian egg-sperm fusion synapse.

Elofsson A, Han L, Bianchi E, Wright G, Jovine L Elife. 2024; 13.

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No evidence for a direct extracellular interaction between human Fc receptor-like 3 (MAIA) and the sperm ligand IZUMO1.

Bianchi E, Jimenez-Movilla M, Cots-Rodriguez P, Viola C, Wright G Sci Adv. 2024; 10(8):eadk6352.

PMID: 38381819 PMC: 10881024. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk6352.

Sperm induction of somatic cell-cell fusion as a novel functional test.

Brukman N, Valansi C, Podbilewicz B Elife. 2024; 13.

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