Mol. Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on December 10, 2004
Molecular Human Reproduction 2005 11(1):53-64; doi:10.1093/molehr/gah132
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Novel testis-expressed profilin IV associated with acrosome biogenesis and spermatid elongation
Department of Andrology, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: IHF Falkenried 88 (CiM), D-20251 Hamburg, Germany. Email: kirchhoff{at}ihf.de
A novel profilin, named profilin IV, was cloned and characterized as a testicular isoform, distinct from the previously described testis-specific profilin III. Profilin IV showed only 30% amino acid identity with the other mammalian profilins; nevertheless, database searches produced significant alignments with the conserved profilin domain. Northern blot analysis and in situ transcript hybridization suggested that profilin IV, like profilin III, is transcribed in the germ cells. However, the timing of their expression during post-natal development of rat testis and in the rat spermatogenetic cycle was distinct. In the human testis, profilin IV mRNA expression correlates with the presence of germ cells suggesting that it may be a suitable molecular diagnostic parameter to supplement conventional histopathological diagnostics in the assessment of testicular biopsies. The predicted profilin IV protein was verified employing an anti-oligopeptide antibody. Western blot analysis detected an immunorelated testicular protein of approximately 14 kDa. Immunohistochemistry revealed an intracellular protein of the rat, the mouse and the human testis accumulating asymmetrically in the cytoplasm of round and elongating spermatids with its perinuclear location coinciding with the position of the developing acrosome–acroplaxome and the manchette. Profilin IV thus may regulate testicular actin cytoskeleton dynamics and play a role in acrosome generation and spermatid nuclear shaping.
Key words: acrosome/human testicular biopsy/manchette/puberty/rat/spermatid
Supported by the German Research Association (DFG contract Ki 317/9 and GRK336).
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