Angiotensin II induces acrosomal exocytosis in bovine spermatozoa

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (1) ◽  
pp. E87-E93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Gur ◽  
Haim Breitbart ◽  
Yehudit Lax ◽  
Sara Rubinstein ◽  
Nadav Zamir
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Acrosome Reaction ◽  
Female Genital Tract ◽  
Angiotensin Receptors ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Acrosomal Exocytosis ◽  
Bovine Spermatozoa ◽  
Mammalian Spermatozoa ◽  
Female Genital

Ejaculated mammalian spermatozoa must reside in the female genital tract for some time before gaining the ability to fertilize the egg. During this time, spermatozoa undergo some physiological changes that collectively are called capacitation. Capacitation of mammalian spermatozoa is a prerequisite for acrosome reaction, which is an exocytotic event occurring before fertilization. The specific biophysical and biochemical changes that accompany sperm capacitation and the agonists inducing acrosome reaction are not fully understood. Using SDS-gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, we demonstrate the existence of a class of angiotensin receptors (AT1) in bovine spermatozoa. In capacitated sperm, we show that angiotensin II (ANG II) AT1 receptors are localized in the head and tail, whereas in noncapacitated cells the receptors are localized in the tail only. We find that ANG II markedly stimulates acrosomal exocytosis of capacitated bovine spermatozoa in vitro in a concentration range of 0.1–10 nM. No effect of ANG II was found in noncapacitated cells. The ability of ANG II to stimulate the acrosome reaction depends on the presence of calcium ions in the incubation medium. The ANG II-induced acrosome reaction was markedly inhibited by a selective AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan (DUP 753). PD-123319, a selective antagonist of the ANG II AT2 receptor, had no effect on the ANG II-induced acrosome reaction. Thus ANG II via activation of AT1 receptors may play a regulatory role in the induction of the acrosome reaction.

In vitro phagocytosis of boar spermatozoa by neutrophils from peripheral blood of sows

Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 265-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Matthijs ◽  
W Harkema ◽  
B Engel ◽  
H Woelders
Keyword(s):  
Cold Shock ◽  
Female Genital Tract ◽  
Polymorphonuclear Leucocytes ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Phagocytosis Assay ◽  
Acrosomal Exocytosis ◽  
Boar Spermatozoa ◽  
Female Genital ◽  
Serum Components

A considerable number of spermatozoa are used in each sow in routine artificial insemination. However, within a few hours after insemination, many spermatozoa are phagocytosed by polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Some aspects of sperm transport in the female genital tract in the sow have been thoroughly investigated, whereas little is known about the mechanisms involved in the phagocytosis of spermatozoa, or about which spermatozoa (fresh, capacitated or dead) are the most susceptible to ingestion by polymorphonuclear leucocytes. In this study, phagocytosis was investigated by use of an in vitro phagocytosis assay. Polymorphonuclear leucocytes were challenged with either untreated, cold-shocked or frozen-thawed spermatozoa, or with spermatozoa that had been treated to induce capacitation in vitro. The influence of serum on phagocytosis was also investigated. Treatment of the semen to induce capacitation in vitro considerably reduced the phagocytosis of spermatozoa, whereas crude treatments like cold-shock or freezing and thawing reduced phagocytosis only in the first 15-30 min of incubation with polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Viable spermatozoa were phagocytosed mainly through a pathway that was independent of complement or other serum components (for example, antibodies). Complement had little effect on phagocytosis of spermatozoa, but did cause acrosomal exocytosis and cell death.

Effects of angiotensin II on the acrosome reaction in equine spermatozoa

Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 135-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Sabeur ◽  
AT Vo ◽  
BA Ball
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Acrosome Reaction ◽  
Calcium Influx ◽  
Fluorescein Isothiocyanate ◽  
Major Sperm Protein ◽  
Hoechst 33258 ◽  
Sperm Protein ◽  
Acrosomal Exocytosis

Angiotensin II is a hormone with a wide array of physiological effects that exerts its effect via interaction with two major subtypes of receptor. The results of this study show that angiotensin II (from 1 to 100 nmol l(-1)) initiates acrosomal exocytosis in equine spermatozoa that have undergone capacitation in vitro in a TALP-TEST (Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate; 188.7 mmol TES l(-1), 84.8 mmol Tris l(-1)) buffer with cAMP. The acrosome reaction and sperm viability were assessed with fluorescein isothiocyanate-Pisum sativum agglutinin (FITC-PSA) and Hoechst 33258, respectively. The initiation of the acrosome reaction by angiotensin II was strongly inhibited by losartan, a specific angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist. Although angiotensin II as well as progesterone both initiated the acrosome reaction in equine spermatozoa, there was no synergistic effect when both agonists were added simultaneously. Initiation of acrosomal exocytosis by angiotensin II was accompanied by a rapid and transient calcium influx that was assessed in capacitated spermatozoa loaded with Fura-2AM. In addition, the angiotensin II-mediated calcium influx was inhibited when spermatozoa were preincubated with losartan. Western blotting with an antibody against angiotensin II type 1 receptor detected a major sperm protein of 60 kDa. Indirect immunofluorescence of non-capacitated spermatozoa with the angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibody revealed labelling in the midpiece and tail. In capacitated spermatozoa, the angiotensin II type 1 receptor was localized mainly over the anterior region of the sperm head, the equatorial segment and occasionally on the postacrosomal region in addition to the sperm tail. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the ability of angiotensin II to stimulate the acrosome reaction in capacitated equine spermatozoa. This effect is mediated via the angiotensin II type 1 receptor and is accompanied by an increase in intracellular calcium.

Angiotensin II binding sites in aortic endothelium of domestic fowl

1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (3) ◽  
pp. R777-R782 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. Stallone ◽  
H. Nishimura ◽  
A. Nasjletti
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Domestic Fowl ◽  
Angiotensin Receptors ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Aortic Endothelium ◽  
Specific Receptors ◽  
Layer Chromatography

In domestic fowl, angiotensin II (ANG II) produces a unique vasodepressor response in vivo and endothelium-dependent relaxation of aortic rings in vitro that appear to be a direct effect on vascular smooth muscle mediated through vascular angiotensin receptors. To explore the possible role of the endothelium in ANG II-induced vasodilation, ANG II binding to aortic membrane fractions and intact endothelium and prostaglandin (PG) production were examined in fowl aortas. 125I-[Ile5]ANG II binding by endothelium-intact aortic membrane fractions was consistently higher than binding by identically prepared endothelium-deleted membrane fractions at virtually all concentrations of ligand (10 pM-0.20 microM). Incubation of intact aortic rings with 125I-[Ile5]ANG II (0.50 nM) resulted in specific endothelial binding that increased linearly with time from 5.5 +/- 1.7 (SE) fmol/mg protein at 5 min to 13.7 +/- 1.8 at 30 min. Endothelial ANG II binding increased linearly with the dose of ligand, from 2.7 +/- 0.3 fmol/mg protein at 0.1 nM to 21.0 +/- 2.2 at 1.0 nM. Specific ANG II binding to aortic endothelium was competitively displaced 73 +/- 11% by unlabeled ANG II (0.1 microM) but not by bradykinin (0.1 microM). Incubation of intact aortic rings with [14C]arachidonic acid resulted in the formation of radioactive metabolites that comigrated in thin-layer chromatography with authentic PGE2 but not with 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. PGE2 production by aortic rings (44.4 +/- 4.5 ng.mg dry tissue-1.h-1) was not stimulated by addition of ANG II. These results suggest that specific receptors for ANG II exist in fowl aortic endothelium and that PGs are not involved in ANG II-induced vasodilation of the fowl aorta.

Diagnostic significance of sperm-zona pellucida interaction

1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Oehninger
Keyword(s):  
Zona Pellucida ◽  
Genital Tract ◽  
Acrosome Reaction ◽  
Female Genital Tract ◽  
Critical Event ◽  
Sperm Cells ◽  
Diagnostic Significance ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Female Genital

Spermatozoa binding to the zona pellucida is an early, critical event leading to fertilization and early pre-embryo development. Fertilization involves a complex and orderly sequence of events that is completed at syngamy, which is defined as the union of the two sets of haploid chromosomes to form a new diploid fertilized ovum (zygote). In order to be able to fertilize an oocyte, spermatozoa need to undergo a process called ‘capacitation’, which is usually defined as a series of changes that renders the sperm cells capable of undergoing the acrosome reaction. This process that naturally occurs within the female genital tract is possible under in vitro conditions. However, capacitation is not the only process spermatozoa must undergo to fertilize the oocytes successfully. To fertilize an oocyte, spermatozoa must also be at least highly motile, as well as being capable of undergoing the acrosome reaction timely, penetrating through the oocyte investments and fusing with the oocyte plasma membrane properly.

scholarly journals Acrosin is essential for sperm penetration through the zona pellucida in hamsters

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (5) ◽  
pp. 2513-2518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Hirose ◽  
Arata Honda ◽  
Helena Fulka ◽  
Miwa Tamura-Nakano ◽  
Shogo Matoba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zona Pellucida ◽  
Female Genital Tract ◽  
Vitro Fertilization ◽  
Sperm Penetration ◽  
New Gene ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Mammalian Spermatozoa ◽  
Female Genital

During natural fertilization, mammalian spermatozoa must pass through the zona pellucida before reaching the plasma membrane of the oocyte. It is assumed that this step involves partial lysis of the zona by sperm acrosomal enzymes, but there has been no unequivocal evidence to support this view. Here we present evidence that acrosin, an acrosomal serine protease, plays an essential role in sperm penetration of the zona. We generated acrosin-knockout (KO) hamsters, using an in vivo transfection CRISPR/Cas9 system. Homozygous mutant males were completely sterile. Acrosin-KO spermatozoa ascended the female genital tract and reached ovulated oocytes in the oviduct ampulla, but never fertilized them. In vitro fertilization (IVF) experiments revealed that mutant spermatozoa attached to the zona, but failed to penetrate it. When the zona pellucida was removed before IVF, all oocytes were fertilized. This indicates that in hamsters, acrosin plays an indispensable role in allowing fertilizing spermatozoa to penetrate the zona. This study also suggests that the KO hamster system would be a useful model for identifying new gene functions or analyzing human and animal disorders because of its technical facility and reproducibility.

scholarly journals Redistribution of the intra-acrosomal EGFP before acrosomal exocytosis in mouse spermatozoa

Reproduction ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 149 (6) ◽  
pp. 657-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noritaka Hirohashi ◽  
Florenza A La Spina ◽  
Ana Romarowski ◽  
Mariano G Buffone
Keyword(s):  
Acrosome Reaction ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Morphological Alterations ◽  
Acrosomal Exocytosis ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Mammalian Spermatozoa

Mammalian spermatozoa must undergo complex physiological and morphological alterations within the female reproductive tract before they become fertilization competent. Two important alterations are capacitation and the acrosome reaction (AR), by which spermatozoa become capable of penetrating the zona pellucida (ZP) of the oocyte. Although various biochemical stimulants have been reported to induce the AR, the true physiological inducer in vivo remains to be identified. Previously, it has been reported that most fertilizing spermatozoa undergo the AR before contacting the ZP and that only a small fraction of in vitro-capacitated spermatozoa can penetrate the ZP. Therefore, it is important to identify which capacitating spermatozoa undergo the AR in response to potential AR inducers such as progesterone. Here we show that spermatozoa undergo a dynamic rearrangement of the acrosome during in vitro capacitation. This involves the rapid movement of an artificially introduced soluble component of the acrosome, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), from the acrosomal cap region to the equatorial segment (EQ) of the sperm head. Spermatozoa exhibiting the EQ pattern were more sensitive to progesterone than were those without it. We suggest that spermatozoa that are ready to undergo acrosomal exocytosis can be detected by real-time EGFP imaging. This offers a promising new method for identifying where spermatozoa undergo the AR in the female reproductive tract in vivo.

Interrenal activity in the female lizard Lagerta vivipara J.: In vitro response to ACTH 1–39 and to [SAR1, VAL5] angiotensin II (ANG II)

1988 ◽  
Vol 30 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 457-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Dauphin-Villemant ◽  
François Leboulenger ◽  
Françoise Xavier ◽  
Hubert Vaudry
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
In Vitro Response ◽  
Female Lizard

Vasoconstriction of outer medullary vasa recta by angiotensin II is modulated by prostaglandin E2

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (6) ◽  
pp. F850-F857 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Pallone
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Prostaglandin E2 ◽  
Regional Blood Flow ◽  
Renal Medulla ◽  
Hydraulic Pressure ◽  
Vascular Bundles ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Vasa Recta ◽  
Anatomical Arrangement

Vasa recta were dissected from outer medullary vascular bundles in the rat and perfused in vitro. Examination by transmission electron microscopy reveals them to be only outer medullary descending vasa recta (OM-DVR). To establish a method for systematic examination of vasoconstriction, OMDVR were perfused at 5 nl/min with collection pressure increased to 5 mmHg. Under these conditions, transmembrane volume flux was found to be near zero, and the transmural hydraulic pressure gradient was found to be < 15 mmHg. Over a concentration range of 10(-12) to 10(-8) M, abluminal application of angiotensin II (ANG II) caused graded focal vasoconstriction of OMDVR that is blocked by saralasin. Luminal application of ANG II over the same concentration range was much less effective. Abluminal application of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) shifted the vasoconstrictor response of OMDVR to higher ANG II concentrations. PGE2 reversibly dilated OMDVR that had been preconstricted by ANG II. These results demonstrate that OMDVR are vasoactive segments. Their anatomical arrangement suggests that they play a key role in the regulation of total and regional blood flow to the renal medulla.

Angiotensin II modulates frizzled-2 receptor expression in rat vascular smooth muscle cells

2005 ◽  
Vol 108 (6) ◽  
pp. 523-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna CASTOLDI ◽  
Serena REDAELLI ◽  
Willy M. M. van de GREEF ◽  
Cira R. T. di GIOIA ◽  
Giuseppe BUSCA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle ◽  
Smooth Muscle Cells ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Aortic Smooth Muscle

Ang II (angiotensin II) has multiple effects on vascular smooth muscle cells through the modulation of different classes of genes. Using the mRNA differential-display method to investigate gene expression in rat aortic smooth muscle cells in culture in response to 3 h of Ang II stimulation, we observed that Ang II down-regulated the expression of a member of the family of transmembrane receptors for Wnt proteins that was identified as Fzd2 [Fzd (frizzled)-2 receptor]. Fzds are a class of highly conserved genes playing a fundamental role in the developmental processes. In vitro, time course experiments demonstrated that Ang II induced a significant increase (P<0.05) in Fzd2 expression after 30 min, whereas it caused a significant decrease (P<0.05) in Fzd2 expression at 3 h. A similar rapid up-regulation after Ang II stimulation for 30 min was evident for TGFβ1 (transforming growth factor β1; P<0.05). To investigate whether Ang II also modulated Fzd2 expression in vivo, exogenous Ang II was administered to Sprague–Dawley rats (200 ng·kg−1 of body weight·min−1; subcutaneously) for 1 and 4 weeks. Control rats received normal saline. After treatment, systolic blood pressure was significantly higher (P<0.01), whereas plasma renin activity was suppressed (P<0.01) in Ang II- compared with the saline-treated rats. Ang II administration for 1 week did not modify Fzd2 expression in aorta of Ang II-treated rats, whereas Ang II administration for 4 weeks increased Fzd2 mRNA expression (P<0.05) in the tunica media of the aorta, resulting in a positive immunostaining for fibronectin at this time point. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that Ang II modulates Fzd2 expression in aortic smooth muscle cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Capn4 aggravates angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy by activating the IGF-AKT signaling pathway

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanping Cao ◽  
Qun Wang ◽  
Caiyun Liu ◽  
Wenjun Wang ◽  
Songqing Lai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Cardiac Hypertrophy ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Calpain Inhibitor ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Akt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Calpain Activity

Abstract Capn4 belongs to a family of calpains that participate in a wide variety of biological functions, but little is known about the role of Capn4 in cardiac disease. Here, we show that the expression of Capn4 was significantly increased in Angiotensin II (Ang II)-treated cardiomyocytes and Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophic mouse hearts. Importantly, in agreement with the Capn4 expression patterns, the maximal calpain activity measured in heart homogenates was elevated in Ang II-treated mice, and oral coadministration of SNJ-1945 (calpain inhibitor) attenuated the total calpain activity measured in vitro. Functional assays indicated that overexpression of Capn4 obviously aggravated Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy, whereas Capn4 knockdown resulted in the opposite phenotypes. Further investigation demonstrated that Capn4 maintained the activation of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-AKT signaling pathway in cardiomyocytes by increasing c-Jun expression. Mechanistic investigations revealed that Capn4 directly bound and stabilized c-Jun, and knockdown of Capn4 increased the ubiquitination level of c-Jun in cardiomyocytes. Additionally, our results demonstrated that the antihypertrophic effect of Capn4 silencing was partially dependent on the inhibition of c-Jun. Overall, these data suggested that Capn4 contributes to cardiac hypertrophy by enhancing the c-Jun-mediated IGF-AKT signaling pathway and could be a potential therapeutic target for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document