The sole purpose of a sperm cell is to carry genetic information from a male to a female egg. In order to accomplish this quest, the sperm cell must travel a long distance through a constantly changing environment. The success of this journey depends on membrane proteins that are uniquely expressed in sperm cells. One of these proteins is the α4 isoform of the sodium pump. This pump is optimized to cope with the ionic environment characteristic of the female reproductive tract, and its activity may be tightly coupled with secondary transporters that maintain cytoplasmic pH. Pharmacological inhibition of α4 is sufficient to inhibit sperm motility, and significant differences around the inhibitor-binding site compared with the ubiquitous α1 isoform, make α4 a feasible target in rational drug development.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2011
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkFront Matter
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
May 20 2011
The pumps that fuel a sperm's journey
Michael Jakob Clausen;
Michael Jakob Clausen
1PUMPKIN – Centre for Membrane Pumps in Cells and Disease, Danish National Research Foundation, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark, and Department of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
Search for other works by this author on:
Poul Nissen;
Poul Nissen
1PUMPKIN – Centre for Membrane Pumps in Cells and Disease, Danish National Research Foundation, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark, and Department of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
Search for other works by this author on:
Hanne Poulsen
Hanne Poulsen
1
1PUMPKIN – Centre for Membrane Pumps in Cells and Disease, Danish National Research Foundation, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark, and Department of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email hp@mb.au.dk).
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
February 14 2011
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2011 Biochemical Society
2011
Biochem Soc Trans (2011) 39 (3): 741–745.
Article history
Received:
February 14 2011
Citation
Michael Jakob Clausen, Poul Nissen, Hanne Poulsen; The pumps that fuel a sperm's journey. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2011; 39 (3): 741–745. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0390741
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.