Identification of GABAB receptor in rat testis and sperm

Xiao Bing He, Jing Hua Hu, Qi Wu, Yuan Chang Yan, S. S. Koide

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) can mimic and potentiate the action of progesterone in initiating the acrosome reaction (AR) of mammalian sperm, indicating that sperm contain receptors for GABA. This contention was validated by identifying the receptor (R) subtype, GABAAR, in mammalian sperm. In the present study a second subtype, GABABR, was identified in rat testis and sperm. Total RNAs of rat testis and sperm were prepared and used as template to synthesize the respective cDNAs by the RT-PCR method. Two splice variants of the cDNA coding GABABR1 (GABABR1a and GABABR1c) and GABABR2 were identified. Extracts of rat testis, spermatogenic cells and sperm contained two proteins with estimated molecular sizes of 130 and 100 kDa, corresponding to GABABR1a and GABABR1c/1b, respectively, determined by Western blot using polyclonal anti-GABABR1 antibody. By an indirect immunofluorescence technique, GABABR1 was located on the head of rat sperm. The present finding is the first direct demonstration that mammalian sperm contain GABABR.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)243-247
Number of pages5
JournalBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume283
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

Keywords

  • GABA receptors
  • Spermatogenic cells

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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