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15 June 2021 The molecular mechanisms underlying acrosome biogenesis elucidated by gene-manipulated mice
Wenfeng Xiong, Chunling Shen, Zhugang Wang
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Abstract

Sexual reproduction requires the fusion of two gametes in a multistep and multifactorial process termed fertilization. One of the main steps that ensures successful fertilization is acrosome reaction. The acrosome, a special kind of organelle with a cap-like structure that covers the anterior portion of sperm head, plays a key role in the process. Acrosome biogenesis begins with the initial stage of spermatid development, and it is typically divided into four successive phases: the Golgi phase, cap phase, acrosome phase, and maturation phase. The run smoothly of above processes needs an active and specific coordination between the all kinds of organelles (endoplasmic reticulum, trans-Golgi network, and nucleus) and cytoplasmic structures (acroplaxome and manchette). During the past two decades, an increasing number of genes have been discovered to be involved in modulating acrosome formation. Most of these proteins interact with each other and show a complicated molecular regulatory mechanism to facilitate the occurrence of this event. This review focuses on the progresses of studying acrosome biogenesis using gene-manipulated mice and highlights an emerging molecular basis of mammalian acrosome formation.

Summary sentence

The acrosome is generated from a combination of many membrane trafficking systems and the morphology and integrity are maintained by the coordination of the cytoskeletal structures during spermiogenesis.

© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for the Study of Reproduction. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
Wenfeng Xiong, Chunling Shen, and Zhugang Wang "The molecular mechanisms underlying acrosome biogenesis elucidated by gene-manipulated mice," Biology of Reproduction 105(4), 789-807, (15 June 2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioab117
Received: 16 April 2021; Accepted: 9 June 2021; Published: 15 June 2021
KEYWORDS
acroplaxome
acrosome formation
autophagy
globozoospermia
Male infertility
vesicular trafficking
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