Perinuclear theca during spermatozoa maturation leading to fertilization

Mammalian spermatozoa acquire the capacity to fertilize the ovum and display motility during their passage through the epididymis. At the same time, they undergo changes in metabolic patterns, enzymatic activities, ability to bind to zona pellucida surface, and electrophoretic properties and, furthe...

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Published in:Microscopy research and technique 2003-05, Vol.61 (1), p.76-87
Main Authors: Müjica, Adela, Navarro-García, Fernando, Hernández-González, Enrique O., de Lourdes Juárez-Mosqueda, María
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
calicin
Cattle
Cricetinae
Cytoskeletal Proteins - metabolism
Cytoskeleton - metabolism
Cytoskeleton - ultrastructure
Fertilization - physiology
Guinea Pigs
Humans
Male
Mice
proteins from PT
PT functions
PT substructure
Rabbits
Rats
Sperm Head - metabolism
Sperm Head - ultrastructure
sperm head cytoskeleton
Sperm Maturation - physiology
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Summary:Mammalian spermatozoa acquire the capacity to fertilize the ovum and display motility during their passage through the epididymis. At the same time, they undergo changes in metabolic patterns, enzymatic activities, ability to bind to zona pellucida surface, and electrophoretic properties and, furthermore, stabilization of some sperm structures by the establishment of disulphide linkages takes place in several sperm structures. The cytoplasmic perinuclear theca (PT) is a unique extranuclear cytoskeletal element that surrounds the nucleus, which is proposed to be a structural scaffold to the sperm nucleus. The purpose of this review is to describe PT changes related to epididymal sperm maturation. We will focus mainly on the protein components of the PT of eutherian mammalian spermatozoa and on quantitative protein changes during sperm maturation. The protein constituents of the PT have not been completely defined and most of them are different from the cytoskeletal proteins of somatic cells. However, they are proteins with cytoskeletal features. The morphologic changes reported for PT and the proposed functions of PT are discussed. Microsc. Res. Tech. 61:76–87, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ISSN:1059-910X
1097-0029
DOI:10.1002/jemt.10318