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The Molecular Biology of the Sperm Surface

Post-Testicular Membrane Remodelling

  • Chapter
Book cover The Fate of the Male Germ Cell

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 424))

Summary

The membrane of testicular spermatozoa undergoes extensive changes in the epididymis, including rearrangement, modification and loss of pre-existing components, addition of new glycoproteins from epididymal secretions, and exchange of lipid constituents. As a result, the membrane of cauda epididymidal spermatozoa has a different composition and different properties, which collectively contribute to male fertility. Special significance has been attributed to sperm surface structures that only appear post-testicularly in the epididymis, the so-called “maturation antigens”. Therefore, human post-testicular proteins have been cloned by substractive screening of epididymal cDNA libraries, employing testis as the primary negative control. To date, there is scanty information on their function and mechanism of deposition on the sperm surface. However, the major maturation antigen CD52 seems to bind firmly to the sperm membrane via its GPI anchor. Its synthesis is carefully regulated by the cells of the epididymal epithelium, with temperature and androgens acting synergistically on CD52 mRNA levels.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IHF Institute for Hormone and Fertility Research at the University of Hamburg, Grandweg 64, 22529, Hamburg, Germany

    C. Kirchhoff, I. Pera & P. Derr

  2. Institut für Reproduktionsmedizin der Universität, Domagkstrasse 11, 48149, Münster, Germany

    C.-H. Yeung & T. Cooper

Authors
  1. C. Kirchhoff
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  2. I. Pera
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  3. P. Derr
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  4. C.-H. Yeung
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  5. T. Cooper
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Hormone and Fertility Research, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Richard Ivell

  2. Anatomical Institute, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Adolf-Friedrich Holstein

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Kirchhoff, C., Pera, I., Derr, P., Yeung, CH., Cooper, T. (1997). The Molecular Biology of the Sperm Surface. In: Ivell, R., Holstein, AF. (eds) The Fate of the Male Germ Cell. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 424. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5913-9_40

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5913-9_40

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7711-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-5913-9

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