ANKEF1 is a key axonemal component essential for murine sperm motility and male fertility.

ABSTRACT: Sperm motility is essential for male fertility and depends on the structural integrity of the sperm axoneme, which features a canonical '9 + 2' microtubule arrangement. This structure comprises nine outer doublet microtubules (DMTs) that are associated with various macromolecular complexes. Among them, the nexin-dynein regulatory complex (N-DRC) forms crossbridges between adjacent DMTs, contributing to their stabilization and enabling flagellar bending. In this study, we investigated Ankyrin repeat and EF-hand domain containing 1 (ANKEF1, also known as ANKRD5), a protein highly expressed in the sperm axoneme. We found that ANKEF1 interacts with DRC5/TCTE1 and DRC4/GAS8, two key components of the N-DRC, and these interactions occur independently of calcium regulation. Male Ankef1

SUBMITTER: Yu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12747526 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature