Absolute proteomic quantification reveals design principles of sperm flagellar chemosensation.

ABSTRACT: Cilia serve as cellular antennae that translate sensory information into physiological responses. In the sperm flagellum, a single chemoattractant molecule can trigger a Ca²⁺ rise that controls motility. The mechanisms underlying such ultra-sensitivity are ill-defined. Here, we determine by mass spectrometry the copy number of nineteen chemosensory signaling proteins in sperm flagella from the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata. Proteins are up to 1,000-fold more abundant than the free cellular messengers cAMP, cGMP, H⁺ , and Ca²⁺ . Opto-chemical techniques show that high protein concentrations kinetically compartmentalize the flagellum: Within milliseconds, cGMP is relayed from the receptor guanylate cyclase to a cGMP-gated channel that serves as a perfect chem

SUBMITTER: Trotschel C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7024835 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature