Title
Functional characterization of PKDREJ, a male germ cell-restricted polycystin
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Cell Biology
Date
8-3-2006
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Alternative Splicing; Amino Acid Sequence; Calcium Channels; Cations; Cells, Cultured; Electric Conductivity; G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; Germ Cells; Humans; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins; Membrane Proteins; Molecular Sequence Data; Phosphoproteins; Protein Binding; Receptors, Cell Surface; TRPC Cation Channels
Disciplines
Cell Biology
Abstract
Polycystin-1 regulates a number of cellular processes through the formation of complexes with the polycystin-2 ion channel or with other signal transduction proteins. Polycystin-1 is expressed in many tissues but other members of this gene family are distributed in a more restricted fashion. PKDREJ expression has been detected only in the mammalian testis, where it is restricted to the spermatogenic lineage and retained in mature sperm. However, the functional characteristics of this protein and its role in sperm biology are not well understood. In this study it is shown that PKDREJ can modulate G protein signaling and associates with several members of the polycystin-2 family. These interactions, as well as polycystin-2 association with TRPC channels, are consistent with a role of this protein in the regulation of the acrosome reaction and in other aspects of sperm physiology.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Cell Physiol. 2006 Nov;209(2):493-500. Link to article on publisher's site