The Role of the LINC Complex in Sperm Development and Function

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

The LINC (LInker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex is localized within the nuclear envelope and consists of SUN (Sad1/UNc84 homology domain-containing) proteins located in the inner nuclear membrane and KASH (Klarsicht/Anc1/Syne1 homology domain-containing) proteins located in the outer nuclear membrane, hence linking nuclear with cytoplasmic structures. While the nucleoplasm-facing side acts as a key player for correct pairing of homolog chromosomes and rapid chromosome movements during meiosis, the cytoplasm-facing side plays a pivotal role for sperm head development and proper acrosome formation during spermiogenesis. A further complex present in spermatozoa is involved in head-to-tail coupling. An intact LINC complex is crucial for the production of fertile sperm, as mutations in genes encoding for complex proteins are known to be associated with male subfertility in both mice and men. The present review provides a comprehensive overview on our current knowledge of LINC complex subtypes present in germ cells and its central role for male reproduction. Future studies on distinct LINC complex components are an absolute requirement to improve the diagnosis of idiopathic male factor infertility and the outcome of assisted reproduction.

Related collections

Most cited references 68

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Infertility around the globe: new thinking on gender, reproductive technologies and global movements in the 21st century.

Marcia C. Inhorn, Pasquale Patrizio (2024)

Infertility is estimated to affect as many as 186 million people worldwide. Although male infertility contributes to more than half of all cases of global childlessness, infertility remains a woman's social burden. Unfortunately, areas of the world with the highest rates of infertility are often those with poor access to assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). In such settings, women may be abandoned to their childless destinies. However, emerging data suggest that making ART accessible and affordable is an important gender intervention. To that end, this article presents an overview of what we know about global infertility, ART and changing gender relations, posing five key questions: (i) why is infertility an ongoing global reproductive health problem? (ii) What are the gender effects of infertility, and are they changing over time? (iii) What do we know about the globalization of ART to resource-poor settings? (iv) How are new global initiatives attempting to improve access to IVF? (v) Finally, what can be done to overcome infertility, help the infertile and enhance low-cost IVF (LCIVF) activism?

0 comments Cited 345 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Dynactin.

Trina Schroer (2004)

Dynactin is a multisubunit protein complex that is required for most, if not all, types of cytoplasmic dynein activity in eukaryotes. Dynactin binds dynein directly and allows the motor to traverse the microtubule lattice over long distances. A single dynactin subunit, p150Glued, is sufficient for both activities, yet dynactin contains several other subunits that are organized into an elaborate structure. It is currently believed that the bulk of the dynactin structure participates in interactions with a wide range of cellular structures, many of which are cargoes of the dynein motor. Genetic studies verify the importance of all elements of dynactin structure to its function. Although dynein can bind some membranous cargoes independently of dynactin, establishment of a fully functional dynein-cargo link appears to depend on dynactin. In this review, I summarize what is presently known about dynactin structure, the cellular structures with which it associates, and the intermolecular interactions that underlie and regulate binding. Although the molecular details of dynactin's interactions with membranous organelles and other molecules are complex, the framework provided here is intended to distill what is presently known and to be of use to dynactin specialists and beginners alike.

0 comments Cited 189 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Coupling of the nucleus and cytoplasm

Melissa Crisp, Qian Liu, Kyle Roux … (2006)

The nuclear envelope defines the barrier between the nucleus and cytoplasm and features inner and outer membranes separated by a perinuclear space (PNS). The inner nuclear membrane contains specific integral proteins that include Sun1 and Sun2. Although the outer nuclear membrane (ONM) is continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum, it is nevertheless enriched in several integral membrane proteins, including nesprin 2 Giant (nesp2G), an 800-kD protein featuring an NH2-terminal actin-binding domain. A recent study (Padmakumar, V.C., T. Libotte, W. Lu, H. Zaim, S. Abraham, A.A. Noegel, J. Gotzmann, R. Foisner, and I. Karakesisoglou. 2005. J. Cell Sci. 118:3419–3430) has shown that localization of nesp2G to the ONM is dependent upon an interaction with Sun1. In this study, we confirm and extend these results by demonstrating that both Sun1 and Sun2 contribute to nesp2G localization. Codepletion of both of these proteins in HeLa cells leads to the loss of ONM-associated nesp2G, as does overexpression of the Sun1 lumenal domain. Both treatments result in the expansion of the PNS. These data, together with those of Padmakumar et al. (2005), support a model in which Sun proteins tether nesprins in the ONM via interactions spanning the PNS. In this way, Sun proteins and nesprins form a complex that links the nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (the LINC complex).

0 comments Cited 163 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

All references

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Int J Mol Sci

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Int J Mol Sci

Journal ID (publisher-id): ijms

Title: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 1422-0067

Publication date (Electronic): 28 November 2020

Publication date Collection: December 2020

Volume: 21

Issue: 23

Electronic Location Identifier: 9058

Affiliations

[1 ]Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV, Prumyslova 595, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic; kmonickovavera@ 123456gmail.com (V.K.); Michaela.Frolikova@ 123456ibt.cas.cz (M.F.)

[2 ]Department of Urology, Pediatric Urology and Andrology, Molecular Andrology, Justus-Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany; Klaus.Steger@ 123456chiru.med.uni-giessen.de

[3 ]Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: katerina.komrskova@ 123456ibt.cas.cz

Author information

Michaela Frolikova https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9834-8405

Katerina Komrskova https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6837-2148

Article

Publisher ID: ijms-21-09058

DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239058

PMC ID: 7730847

PubMed ID: 33260574

SO-VID: 101de941-e505-4e86-bedb-c926a989d932

License:

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

The Role of the LINC Complex in Sperm Development and Function

Read this article at

Abstract

Related collections

Higher order chromatin architecture

Most cited references 68

Infertility around the globe: new thinking on gender, reproductive technologies and global movements in the 21st century.

Dynactin.

Coupling of the nucleus and cytoplasm

Author and article information

Journal

Affiliations

Author notes

Author information

Article

History

Categories

Comments

Comment on this article

Similar content 421

Cited by 9

Most referenced authors 2,068