Structures of sperm flagellar doublet microtubules expand the genetic spectrum of male infertility.
Zhou, L., Liu, H., Liu, S., Yang, X., Dong, Y., Pan, Y., Xiao, Z., Zheng, B., Sun, Y., Huang, P., Zhang, X., Hu, J., Sun, R., Feng, S., Zhu, Y., Liu, M., Gui, M., Wu, J.(2023) Cell 186: 2897-2910.e19
- PubMed: 37295417 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.009
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
8IYJ - PubMed Abstract: 
Sperm motility is crucial for successful fertilization. Highly decorated doublet microtubules (DMTs) form the sperm tail skeleton, which propels the movement of spermatozoa. Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based modeling, we determined the structures of mouse and human sperm DMTs and built an atomic model of the 48-nm repeat of the mouse sperm DMT. Our analysis revealed 47 DMT-associated proteins, including 45 microtubule inner proteins (MIPs). We identified 10 sperm-specific MIPs, including seven classes of Tektin5 in the lumen of the A tubule and FAM166 family members that bind the intra-tubulin interfaces. Interestingly, the human sperm DMT lacks some MIPs compared with the mouse sperm DMT. We also discovered variants in 10 distinct MIPs associated with a subtype of asthenozoospermia characterized by impaired sperm motility without evident morphological abnormalities. Our study highlights the conservation and tissue/species specificity of DMTs and expands the genetic spectrum of male infertility.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China; Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China.