Mutation in Drosophila concentrative nukleoside transporter 1 alters spermatid maturation and mating behavior

0560627 - BC 2023 RIV CH eng J - Journal Article
Maaroufi, Houda Ouns - Pauchová, Lucie - Lin, Yu-Hsien - Wu, Chia-hsiang - Rouhová, Lenka - Kučerová, Lucie - Vieira, Lígia Cota - Renner, M. - Sehadová, Hana - Hradilová, Miluše - Žurovec, Michal
Mutation in Drosophila concentrative nukleoside transporter 1 alters spermatid maturation and mating behavior.
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. Roč. 10, AUG 23 (2022), č. článku 945572. ISSN 2296-634X. E-ISSN 2296-634X
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GJ19-13784Y; GA MŠMT(CZ) LM2018129; GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_013/0001775
Grant - others:Program Interreg(CZ) REGGEN/ATCZ207
Institutional support: RVO:60077344 ; RVO:68378050
Keywords : cnt1 * gamete * spermatogenesis
OECD category: Developmental biology; Developmental biology (UMG-J)
Impact factor: 5.5, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2022.945572/pdf

Concentrative nucleoside transporters (Cnts) are unidirectional carriers that mediate the energy-costly influx of nucleosides driven by the transmembrane sodium gradient. Cnts are transmembrane proteins that share a common structural organization and are found in all phyla. Although there have been studies on Cnts from a biochemical perspective, no deep research has examined their role at the organismal level. Here, we investigated the role of the Drosophila melanogaster cnt1 gene, which is specifically expressed in the testes. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate a mutation in the cnt1 gene. The cnt1 mutants exhibited defects in the duration of copulation and spermatid maturation, which significantly impaired male fertility. The most striking effect of the cnt1 mutation in spermatid maturation was an abnormal structure of the sperm tail, in which the formation of major and minor mitochondrial derivatives was disrupted. Our results demonstrate the importance of cnt1 in male fertility and suggest that the observed defects in mating behavior and spermatogenesis are due to alterations in nucleoside transport and associated metabolic pathways.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0338890