Tracking diffusion of GM1 gangliosides and zona pellucida binding molecules in sperm plasma membranes following cholesterol efflux.

The molecules on mammalian spermatozoa that mediate recognition and binding to the zona pellucida of the egg are still not understood. Current concepts favour their assembly into multimolecular complexes in the plasma membrane in response to cholesterol efflux, an important step during sperm capacitation. Here, we track in real time diffusion of cross-linked clusters containing zona-binding molecules and GM1 gangliosides in the plasma membrane of live boar spermatozoa before and after cholesterol reduction. Both GM1 gangliosides and zona-binding molecules partition into a low density Triton X100 resistant phase suggesting their association with lipid rafts. Initially, GM1 and zona-binding molecules localize to the apical ridge on the acrosome but following cholesterol efflux with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, clusters containing zona-binding molecules diffuse randomly over the acrosomal domain. Diffusing clusters of either type do not access the postacrosome. Spermatozoa agglutinated head-to-head show contact-induced coalescence of GM1 gangliosides (but not zona-binding molecules) suggestive of a specific mechanosensitive response. Thus, cholesterol efflux initiates diffusion (and possibly formation) of novel lipid raft-like structures containing zona-binding molecules over the sperm acrosome. We hypothesise that in combination with contact coalescence, these mechanisms concentrate important molecules to the appropriate site on the sperm surface to mediate zona binding.

Selective diffusion barriers separate membrane compartments.

We have investigated exchange of molecules between different membrane domains on a highly compartmentalized cell, the spermatozoon. Using Alexa Fluor 555-cholera toxin B-subunit we have observed clustering of preexisting GM1 gangliosides which diffused across the anterior acrosome-equatorial segment interface but did not access the postacrosome. By contrast, single lipid and protein molecules readily exchanged between all three domains, although they diffused more slowly on nearing and crossing to the postacrosome. Thus, two types of diffusion interfaces are present on sperm heads, an "open" interface and a "mass filter" interface. The latter seems to be due to a protein-cytoskeleton network.

The equatorial subsegment in mammalian spermatozoa is enriched in tyrosine phosphorylated proteins.

The equatorial subsegment (EqSS) was originally identified by atomic force microscopy as a discrete region within the equatorial segment of Artiodactyl spermatozoa. In this investigation, we show that the EqSS is enriched in tyrosine phosphorylated proteins and present preliminary evidence for its presence in mouse and rat spermatozoa. The anti-phosphotyrosine monoclonal antibody (McAb) 4G10 bound strongly and discretely to the EqSS of permeabilized boar, ram, and bull spermatozoa. It also bound to a small patch on the posterior acrosomal region of permeabilized mouse and rat spermatozoa, suggesting that the EqSS is not restricted to the order Artiodactyla. An anti-HSPA1A (formerly Hsp70) antibody recognized the EqSS in boar spermatozoa. Immunogold labeling with McAb 4G10 localized the tyrosine phosphorylated proteins to the outer acrosomal membrane. This was verified by freeze-fracture electron microscopy, which identified the EqSS in three overlying membranes, the plasma membrane, outer acrosomal membrane, and inner acrosomal membrane. In all five species, tyrosine phosphorylated proteins became restricted to the EqSS during sperm maturation in the epididymis. The major tyrosine phosphorylated proteins in the EqSS of boar and ram spermatozoa were identified by mass spectrometry as orthologs of human SPACA1 (formerly SAMP32). Immunofluorescence with a specific polyclonal antibody localized SPACA1 to the equatorial segment in boar spermatozoa. We speculate that the EqSS is an organizing center for assembly of multimolecular complexes that initiate fusion competence in this area of the plasma membrane following the acrosome reaction.

Binding of sperm proacrosin/beta-acrosin to zona pellucida glycoproteins is sulfate and stereodependent. Synthesis of a novel fertilization inhibitor.

Specific binding of spermatozoa to the zona pellucida that surrounds mammalian eggs is a key step in the fertilization process. However, the sperm proteins that recognise zona pellucida receptors remain contentious despite longstanding research efforts to identify them. Here we present evidence that proacrosin, a tissue-specific protein found within the acrosomal vesicle of all mammalian spermatozoa, is a multifunctional protein that mediates binding of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa to zona glycoproteins via a stereospecific polysulfate recognition mechanism. Using sulfated versus non-sulfated forms of chemically defined compounds in binding assays employing native proteins in their normal cellular location or conjugated to FluoSpheres, we have attempted to identify the sulfation "code" required for recognition. Results show that protein conformation is important for specificity and that at least 2 sulfate groups are required to cross-link spatially separated docking sites on proacrosin. The consistently most effective inhibitory compounds were suramin and quercetin-3beta-d-glucoside sulfate. The results support our hypothesis that proacrosin is one of several proteins in the acrosomal matrix that retain acrosome reacted spermatozoa on the zona surface prior to penetration. They also establish, as a proof-of-principle, the feasibility of synthesising sulfated compounds of high specificity as antifertility agents for human or animal use.

Identification of a DEF-type docking domain for extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 that directs phosphorylation and turnover of the BH3-only protein BimEL.

The BH3-only protein, Bim, exists as three splice variants (Bim(S), Bim(L), and Bim(EL)) of differing pro-apoptotic potency. Bim(EL), the least effective killer, is degraded by the proteasome in response to phosphorylation by extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). ERK1/2-dependent phosphorylation correlates with the presence of a domain unique to the Bim(EL) splice variant that includes the major ERK1/2 phosphorylation site Ser(65). However, efficient phosphorylation by ERK1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, or p38 requires the presence in the substrate of a discrete kinase-docking domain as well as the phosphoacceptor site. Here we show that the region unique to Bim(EL) (amino acids 41-97) harbors two potential DEF-type ERK1/2 kinase-docking domains, DEF1 and DEF2. Peptide competition assays revealed that the DEF2 peptide could act autonomously to bind active ERK1/2, whereas the DEF1 peptide did not. Truncation analysis identified a minimal region, residues 80-97, containing the DEF2 motif as sufficient for ERK1/2 binding. Mutation of key residues in the DEF2 motif abolished the interaction of ERK1/2 and Bim(EL) and also abolished ERK1/2-dependent phosphorylation of Bim(EL) in vivo, thereby stabilizing the protein and enhancing cytotoxicity. Our results identify a new physiologically relevant functional motif in Bim(EL) that may account for the distinct biological properties of this splice variant.

Cholesterol efflux alters lipid raft stability and distribution during capacitation of boar spermatozoa.

A reduction in plasma membrane cholesterol is one of the early events that either triggers or is closely associated with capacitation of mammalian spermatozoa. In this investigation, we have examined the effects of cholesterol efflux on tyrosine phosphorylation, lipid diffusion, and raft organization in boar spermatozoa. Results show that a low level of cholesterol efflux, mediated by 5 mM methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MBCD), enhances capacitation and induces phosphorylation of two proteins at 26 and 15 kDa without affecting sperm viability. Lipid diffusion rates under these conditions are largely unaffected except when cholesterol efflux is excessive. Low-density Triton X100-insoluble complexes (lipid rafts) were isolated from spermatozoa and found to have a restricted profile of proteins. Capacitation-associated cholesterol efflux has no effect on raft composition, but cholesterol depletion destabilizes them completely and phosphorylation is suppressed. During MBCD-mediated capacitation, the distribution of GM1 gangliosides on spermatozoa changes in a sequential manner from overlying the sperm tail to clustering on the sperm head. It is concluded that there is a safe window for removal of plasma membrane cholesterol from spermatozoa within which protein phosphorylation and polarized migration of lipid rafts take place. A preferential loss of cholesterol from the nonraft pool may be the stimulus that promotes raft clustering over the anterior sperm head.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 are serum-stimulated "Bim(EL) kinases" that bind to the BH3-only protein Bim(EL) causing its phosphorylation and turnover.

Bim, a "BH3-only" protein, is expressed de novo following withdrawal of serum survival factors and promotes cell death. We have shown previously that activation of the ERK1/2 pathway promotes phosphorylation of Bim(EL), targeting it for degradation via the proteasome. However, the nature of the kinase responsible for Bim(EL) phosphorylation remained unclear. We now show that Bim(EL) is phosphorylated on at least three sites in response to activation of the ERK1/2 pathway. By using the peptidylprolyl isomerase, Pin1, as a probe for proline-directed phosphorylation, we show that ERK1/2-dependent phosphorylation of Bim(EL) occurs at (S/T)P motifs. ERK1/2 phosphorylates Bim(EL), but not Bim(S) or Bim(L), in vitro, and mutation of Ser(65) to alanine blocks the phosphorylation of Bim(EL) by ERK1/2 in vitro and in vivo and prevents the degradation of the protein following activation of the ERK1/2 pathway. We also find that ERK1/2, but not JNK, can physically associate with GST-Bim(EL), but not GST-Bim(L) or GST-Bim(S), in vitro. ERK1/2 also binds to full-length Bim(EL) in vivo, and we have localized a potential ERK1/2 "docking domain" lying within a 27-amino acid stretch of the Bim(EL) protein. Our findings provide new insights into the post-translational regulation of Bim(EL) and the role of the ERK1/2 pathway in cell survival signaling.