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Abstract

14-3-3 and its binding partners are regulators of protein-protein interactions during spermatogenesis 
Sun,Shengyi; Wong,Elissa W.P.; Li,Michelle W.M.; Lee,Will M.; Cheng,Chuen-yan
Journal of Endocrinology 202(3): 327-336
Publication date: 2009


During spermatogenesis, spermiation takes place at the adluminaledge of the seminiferous epithelium at stage VIII of the epithelialcycle during which fully developed spermatids (i.e. spermatozoa)detach from the epithelium in adult rat testes. This event coincideswith the migration of preleptotene/leptotene spermatocytes acrossthe blood-testis barrier from the basal to the apical(or adluminal) compartment. At stage XIV of the epithelial cycle,Pachytene spermatocytes (diploid, 2n) differentiate into diplotenespermatocytes (tetraploid, 4n) in the apical compartment ofthe epithelium, which begin meiosis I to be followed by meiosisII to form spermatids (haploid, 1n) at stage XIV of the epithelialcycle. These spermatids, in turn, undergo extensive morphologicalchanges and traverse the seminiferous epithelium until theydifferentiate into elongated spermatids. Thus, there are extensivechanges at the Sertoli-Sertoli and Sertoli-germcell interface via protein 'coupling' and 'uncoupling'between cell adhesion protein complexes, as well as changesin interactions between integral membrane proteins and theirperipheral adaptors, regulatory protein kinases and phosphatases,and the cytoskeletal proteins. These precisely coordinated protein-proteininteractions affect cell adhesion and cell movement. In thisreview, we focus on the 14-3-3 protein family, whose membershave different binding partners in the seminiferous epithelium.Recent studies have illustrated that 14-3-3 affects protein-proteininteractions in the seminiferous epithelium, and regulates celladhesion possibly via its effects on intracellular protein traffickingand cell-polarity proteins. This review provides a summary onthe latest findings regarding the role of 14-3-3 family of proteinsand their potential implications on spermatogenesis. We alsohighlight research areas that deserve attentions by investigators.