This title appears in the Scientific Report :
2006
Please use the identifier:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncb1473 in citations.
A K+-selective cGMP-gated ion channel controls chemosensation of sperm
A K+-selective cGMP-gated ion channel controls chemosensation of sperm
Eggs attract sperm by chemical factors, a process called chemotaxis. Sperm from marine invertebrates use cGMP signalling to transduce incident chemoattractants into changes in the Ca2+ concentration in the flagellum, which control the swimming behaviour during chemotaxis. The signalling pathway down...
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Personal Name(s): | Strünker, T. |
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Weyand, I. / Bönigk, W. / Van, Q. / Loogen, A. / Brown, J. E. / Kashikar, N. / Hagen, V. / Krause, E. / Kaupp, U. B. | |
Contributing Institute: |
Zelluläre Signalverarbeitung; IBI-1 |
Published in: | Nature cell biology, 8 (2006) S. 1149-1154 |
Imprint: |
New York, NY
Nature America
2006
|
Physical Description: |
1149-1154 |
PubMed ID: |
16964244 |
DOI: |
10.1038/ncb1473 |
Document Type: |
Journal Article |
Research Program: |
Funktion und Dysfunktion des Nervensystems |
Series Title: |
Nature Cell Biology
8 |
Subject (ZB): | |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Eggs attract sperm by chemical factors, a process called chemotaxis. Sperm from marine invertebrates use cGMP signalling to transduce incident chemoattractants into changes in the Ca2+ concentration in the flagellum, which control the swimming behaviour during chemotaxis. The signalling pathway downstream of the synthesis of cGMP by a guanylyl cyclase is ill-defined. In particular, the ion channels that are involved in Ca2+ influx and their mechanisms of gating are not known. Using rapid voltage-sensitive dyes and kinetic techniques, we record the voltage response that is evoked by the chemoattractant in sperm from the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata. We show that the chemoattractant evokes a brief hyperpolarization followed by a sustained depolarization. The hyperpolarization is caused by the opening of K+-selective cyclic-nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels in the flagellum. Ca2+ influx commences at the onset of recovery from hyperpolarization. The voltage threshold of Ca2+ entry indicates the involvement of low-voltage-activated Ca(v) channels. These results establish a model of chemosensory transduction in sperm whereby a cGMP-induced hyperpolarization opens Ca(v) channels by a 'recovery-from-inactivation' mechanism and unveil an evolutionary kinship between transduction mechanisms in sperm and photoreceptors. |