Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase-S, a sperm-specific glycolytic enzyme, is required for sperm motility and male fertility.

ABSTRACT: Although glycolysis is highly conserved, it is remarkable that several unique isozymes in this central metabolic pathway are found in mammalian sperm. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase-S (GAPDS) is the product of a mouse gene expressed only during spermatogenesis and, like its human ortholog (GAPD2), is the sole GAPDH isozyme in sperm. It is tightly bound to the fibrous sheath, a cytoskeletal structure that extends most of the length of the sperm flagellum. We disrupted Gapds expression by gene targeting to selectively block sperm glycolysis and assess its relative importance for in vivo sperm function. Gapds(-/-) males were infertile and had profound defects in sperm motility, exhibiting sluggish movement without forward progression. Although mitochondrial oxygen consumption was un

SUBMITTER: Miki K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC534542 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature