| Title |
Expression of the G-protein α-subunit gustducin in mammalian spermatozoa
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Journal of Comparative Physiology A, September 2006
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00359-006-0168-8 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Johanna Fehr, Dorke Meyer, Patricia Widmayer, Heike Claudia Borth, Frauke Ackermann, Beate Wilhelm, Thomas Gudermann, Ingrid Boekhoff |
| Abstract |
Although chemotaxis has been proposed to guide sperm to egg throughout the animal kingdom, sperm attractants released from mammalian eggs have not been identified. Since the G protein subunit alpha-gustducin is accepted as a marker of chemosensitive cells, attempts were made to explore whether alpha-gustducin is also expressed in spermatozoa of mammals. Immunohistochemical approaches using an anti-alpha-gustducin-specific antibody revealed the most intense immunoreactivity in differentiating spermatids. Further evidence for the alpha-gustducin expression was obtained analyzing testicular and sperm-derived tissue preparations in western blot analyses. To elucidate whether alpha-gustducin is retained in mature spermatozoa, epididymal mouse and rat sperm were subjected to immunocytochemistry as well as immunogold electron microscopy. A specific staining was obtained within the circumference of the midpiece-localized mitochondria, on the axoneme and the outer dense fibers surrounding the microtubules of this region, whereas no labeling was detectable in the end piece regions. The analysis of ejaculated bovine and human sperm revealed a comparable segmental distribution pattern for alpha-gustducin. Although a possible function for alpha-gustducin has yet to be determined, the axonemal-associated localization within the midpiece and principal piece of different mammalian spermatozoa raises the possibility that this G protein alpha-subunit may process intracellular signals controlling sperm motility. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 25 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1 | 4% |
| Italy | 1 | 4% |
| Belgium | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown | 22 | 88% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 6 | 24% |
| Student > Master | 4 | 16% |
| Researcher | 4 | 16% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 12% |
| Professor | 3 | 12% |
| Other | 4 | 16% |
| Unknown | 1 | 4% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 7 | 28% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 20% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 16% |
| Neuroscience | 3 | 12% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 1 | 4% |
| Other | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown | 4 | 16% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 6. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 14 July 2018.
All research outputs
#4,972,158
of 23,815,455 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Comparative Physiology A
#304
of 1,450 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#12,720
of 68,784 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Comparative Physiology A
#3
of 7 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,815,455 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 76th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,450 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.9. This one has done well, scoring higher than 78% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 68,784 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 71% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 7 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than 4 of them.