Meyer, D.* ; Voigt, A.* ; Widmayer, P.* ; Borth, H.* ; Huebner, S.* ; Breit, A.* ; Marschall, S. ; Hrabě de Angelis, M. ; Boehm, U.* ; Meyerhof, W.* ; Gudermann, T.* ; Boekhoff, I.*
     
    
        
Expression of Tas1 taste receptors in mammalian spermatozoa: Functional role of Tas1r1 in regulating basal Ca2+ and cAMP concentrations in spermatozoa.
    
    
        
    
    
        
        PLoS ONE 7:e32354 (2012)
    
    
    
      
      
	
	    BACKGROUND: During their transit through the female genital tract, sperm have to recognize and discriminate numerous chemical compounds. However, our current knowledge of the molecular identity of appropriate chemosensory receptor proteins in sperm is still rudimentary. Considering that members of the Tas1r family of taste receptors are able to discriminate between a broad diversity of hydrophilic chemosensory substances, the expression of taste receptors in mammalian spermatozoa was examined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The present manuscript documents that Tas1r1 and Tas1r3, which form the functional receptor for monosodium glutamate (umami) in taste buds on the tongue, are expressed in murine and human spermatozoa, where their localization is restricted to distinct segments of the flagellum and the acrosomal cap of the sperm head. Employing a Tas1r1-deficient mCherry reporter mouse strain, we found that Tas1r1 gene deletion resulted in spermatogenic abnormalities. In addition, a significant increase in spontaneous acrosomal reaction was observed in Tas1r1 null mutant sperm whereas acrosomal secretion triggered by isolated zona pellucida or the Ca(2+) ionophore A23187 was not different from wild-type spermatozoa. Remarkably, cytosolic Ca(2+) levels in freshly isolated Tas1r1-deficient sperm were significantly higher compared to wild-type cells. Moreover, a significantly higher basal cAMP concentration was detected in freshly isolated Tas1r1-deficient epididymal spermatozoa, whereas upon inhibition of phosphodiesterase or sperm capacitation, the amount of cAMP was not different between both genotypes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Since Ca(2+) and cAMP control fundamental processes during the sequential process of fertilization, we propose that the identified taste receptors and coupled signaling cascades keep sperm in a chronically quiescent state until they arrive in the vicinity of the egg - either by constitutive receptor activity and/or by tonic receptor activation by gradients of diverse chemical compounds in different compartments of the female reproductive tract.
	
	
	    
	
       
      
	
	    
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        Publication type
        Article: Journal article
    
 
    
        Document type
        Scientific Article
    
 
    
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        Keywords
        PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTORS; INOSITOL 1,4,5-TRISPHOSPHATE RECEPTORS; FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE-TRACT; MALE GERM-CELLS; ACROSOME REACTION; UMAMI TASTE; SPERM CAPACITATION; KNOCKOUT MICE; AMINO-ACID; MOLECULAR-BASIS
    
 
    
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        Language
        english
    
 
    
        Publication Year
        2012
    
 
    
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        HGF-reported in Year
        2012
    
 
    
    
        ISSN (print) / ISBN
        1932-6203
    
 
    
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	    Volume: 7,  
	    Issue: 2,  
	    Pages: ,  
	    Article Number: e32354 
	    Supplement: ,  
	
    
 
    
        
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            Publisher
            Public Library of Science (PLoS)
        
 
        
            Publishing Place
            Lawrence, Kan.
        
 
	
        
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        Reviewing status
        Peer reviewed
    
 
     
    
        POF-Topic(s)
        30201 - Metabolic Health
    
 
    
        Research field(s)
        Genetics and Epidemiology
    
 
    
        PSP Element(s)
        G-500600-003
    
 
    
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        Erfassungsdatum
        2012-03-23