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Protease in sturgeon sperm and the effects of protease inhibitors on sperm motility and velocity

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Abstract

In mammals, proteases are present in sperm acrosome and play key role in fertilization. Sturgeon sperm has an acrosome, but its physiology, biochemistry, and potential role in fertilization are unknown. In the present study, we have observed high protease activity in acidic extract of intact sperm compared to that of seminal plasma in sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus). The protease activity was decreased and increased in acidic extract of motility-activated sperm and in the activation medium, respectively. Molecular analysis revealed total protease and serine (acrosin) protease activities in sperm acidic extract which was accumulated in a protein band with relative molecular mass of 35 kDa. Immunoelectron microscopy using an affinity-purified polyclonal antibody for boar acrosin localized the protease at the acrosome region. Moreover, initiation of sperm motility was inhibited after activation in the presence of inhibitors for both trypsin-like and chymotrypsin-like proteases, while the effects of protease inhibitors on sperm velocity were uncertain. Our results indicate similarities in physiology and biochemistry of acrosome between sturgeon and mammals and suggest potential role of protease in the initiation of sperm motility in sturgeon.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by GACR P503/12/1834 (to J.P. and S.M.H.A.), AVOZ 50520701 (to P.P.-M), CENAKVA CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0024 (to O.L.), GACR P503/13/34049P (to A.H.), BIOCEVCZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0109 (to J.P. and P.P.-M.), and UNCE204025/2012 (to J.P. and P.P.-M.). S.M.H. Alavi wrote the article during stay at the Tohoku University, supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. We warmly appreciate the Polish Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Tsukuba University and Japanese Association for Marine Biology, for supporting A. Ciereszko and K. Inaba.

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  1. Sayyed Mohammad Hadi Alavi

    Present address: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, 165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, University of South Bohemia, 389 25, Vodňany, Czech Republic

    Sayyed Mohammad Hadi Alavi, Azadeh Hatef, Martin Pšenička & Otomar Linhart

  2. Department of Biological Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 1-1 Tsutsumidori-Amamiyamachi, Sendai, 981-8555, Japan

    Sayyed Mohammad Hadi Alavi

  3. Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic

    Pavla Postlerová-Maňásková & Jana Pěknicová

  4. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada

    Azadeh Hatef

  5. Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda 5-10-1, Shizuoka, 415-0025, Japan

    Kazuo Inaba

  6. Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, 10-747, Olsztyn, Poland

    Andrzej Ciereszko

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  1. Sayyed Mohammad Hadi Alavi
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  2. Pavla Postlerová-Maňásková
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Correspondence to Sayyed Mohammad Hadi Alavi.

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Alavi, S.M.H., Postlerová-Maňásková, P., Hatef, A. et al. Protease in sturgeon sperm and the effects of protease inhibitors on sperm motility and velocity. Fish Physiol Biochem 40, 1393–1398 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-014-9933-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-014-9933-8

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