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Before a sperm can fertilize an egg it must undergo a final activation step induced by the egg termed the acrosome reaction. During the acrosome reaction a lysosome-related organelle, the acrosome, fuses with the plasma membrane to release hydrolytic enzymes and expose an egg-binding protein. Because NAADP (nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate) releases Ca(2+) from acidic lysosome-related organelles in other cell types, we investigated a possible role for NAADP in mediating the acrosome reaction. We report that NAADP binds with high affinity to permeabilized sea urchin sperm. Moreover, we used Mn(2+) quenching of luminal fura-2 and (45)Ca(2+) to directly demonstrate NAADP regulation of a cation channel on the acrosome. Additionally, we show that NAADP synthesis occurs through base exchange and is driven by an increase in Ca(2+). We propose a new model for acrosome reaction signaling in which Ca(2+) influx initiated by egg jelly stimulates NAADP synthesis and that this NAADP acts on its receptor/channel on the acrosome to release Ca(2+) to drive acrosomal exocytosis.

Original publication

DOI

10.1074/jbc.M109.087858

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Biol Chem

Publication Date

11/06/2010

Volume

285

Pages

18262 - 18269

Keywords

Acrosome, Acrosome Reaction, Animals, Calcium, Cations, Exocytosis, Female, Fura-2, Male, Manganese, NADP, Protein Binding, Sea Urchins, Signal Transduction, Spermatozoa