Spermatogenesis-defective (spe) Mutants of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Provide Clues to Solve the Puzzle of Male Germline Functions during Reproduction

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Hitoshi Nishimura, Emory University; Steven L'Hernault, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2010-05
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dvdy.22271/abstract;jsessionid=3755B0A06465D22F675B4C16DE8CE575.f03t03?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+7+December+from+10%3A00-15%3A00+GMT+%2805%3A00-10%3A00+EST%29+for+essential+maintenance
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Developmental Dynamics
• ISSN: 1058-8388
• Volume: 239
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: 1502
• End Page: 1514
• Grant/Funding Information: C. elegans studies in our lab have been supported by the National Science Foundation (to S.W.L., IOB-0544180) and National Institute of Health (to S.W.L., GM082932).
• Keywords: spe gene; spermatogenesis; sperm-oocyte interactions; fertilization; C. elegans; spermiogenesis; male germline
• Research Categories: Biology, General

Abstract

In most species, each sex produces gametes, usually either sperm or oocytes, from its germline during gametogenesis. The sperm and oocyte subsequently fuse together during fertilization to create the next generation. This review focuses on spermatogenesis and the roles of sperm during fertilization in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, where suitable mutants are readily obtained. So far 186 mutants defective in the C. elegans male germline functions have been isolated, and many of these mutations are alleles for one of the ~60 spermatogenesis-defective (spe) genes. Many cloned spe genes are expressed specifically in the male germline, where they play roles during spermatogenesis (spermatid production), spermiogenesis (spermatid activation into spermatozoa), and/or fertilization. Moreover, several spe genes are orthologs of mammalian genes, suggesting that the reproductive processes of the C. elegans and the mammalian male germlines might share common pathways at the molecular level.