Female-induced selective modification of sperm protein SUMOylation-potential mechanistic insights into the non-random fertilization in humans.

ABSTRACT: In many species, mate choice continues after the mating via female- or egg-derived biochemical factors that induce selective changes in sperm pre-fertilization physiology and behaviour. Recent studies have indicated that gamete-mediated mate choice likely occurs also in humans, but the mechanistic basis of the process has remained virtually unexplored. Here, we investigated whether female-induced modifications in sperm protein SUMOylation (post-translational modification of the proteome) could serve as a novel mechanism for gamete-mediated mate choice in humans. We treated the sperm of ten males with the oocyte-surrounding bioactive liquid (follicular fluid) of five females and investigated motility, viability and global protein SUMOylation status of the sperm in all (n = 50) of these male

SUBMITTER: Kekalainen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9305144 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature