Ultrastructural localization of protein kinase C in human sperm

M. Kalina*, R. Socher, R. Rotem, Z. Naor

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We localized protein kinase C (PKC) in human sperm cells at the ultrastructural level by the immunogold technique. The sperm head PKC was localized in the acrosome, equatorial segment, and post-acrosomal region. In the flagellum, PKC was associated with the segmented column of the neck and was distributed along the mid, principal, and end pieces. Immunoreactive sites were observed in patches along the axoneme and outer dense fibers and were evenly distributed between these regions. Pre-absorption of the antibody used with rat brain PKC (α and β) eliminated gold labeling of the sperm head but only reduced labeling of the sperm tail. The co-localization of PKC with various cytoskeletal and other structural elements suggests that the proteins involved are potential substrates for sperm PKC subspecies. The localization of PKC in distinct structures of the human sperm (head, neck, and tail) strongly suggests a role for this enzyme in various aspects of sperm physiology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)439-445
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry
Volume43
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1995

Keywords

  • Electron microscopy
  • Human sperm
  • Immunogold
  • Protein kinase C
  • Ultrastructure

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