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1 May 2005 Mouse Cysteine-Rich Secretory Protein 4 (CRISP4): A Member of the Crisp Family Exclusively Expressed in the Epididymis in an Androgen-Dependent Manner
Jenni Jalkanen, Ilpo Huhtaniemi, Matti Poutanen
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Abstract

The final maturation of spermatozoa produced in the testis takes place during their passage through the epididymis. In this process, the proteins secreted into the epididymal lumen along with changes in the pH and salt composition of the epididymal fluid cause several biochemical changes and remodeling of the sperm plasma membrane. The Crisp family is a group of cysteine-rich secretory proteins that previously consisted of three members, one of which—CRISP1—is an epididymal protein shown to attach to the sperm surface in the epididymal lumen and to inhibit gamete membrane fusion. In the present paper, we introduce a new member of the Crisp protein family, CRISP4. The new gene was discovered through in silico analysis of the epididymal expressed sequence tag library deposited in the UniGene database. The peptide sequence of CRISP4 has a signal sequence suggesting that it is secreted into the epididymal lumen and might thus interact with sperm. Unlike the other members of the family, Crisp4 is located on chromosome 1 in a cluster of genes encoding for cysteine-rich proteins. Crisp4 is expressed in the mouse exclusively in epithelial cells of the epididymis in an androgen-dependent manner, and the expression of the gene starts at puberty along with the onset of sperm maturation. The identified murine CRISP4 peptide has high homology with human CRISP1, and the homology is higher than that between murine and human CRISP1, suggesting that CRISP4 represents the mouse counterpart of human CRISP1 and could have similar effects on sperm membrane as mouse and human CRISP1.

Jenni Jalkanen, Ilpo Huhtaniemi, and Matti Poutanen "Mouse Cysteine-Rich Secretory Protein 4 (CRISP4): A Member of the Crisp Family Exclusively Expressed in the Epididymis in an Androgen-Dependent Manner," Biology of Reproduction 72(5), 1268-1274, (1 May 2005). https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.104.035758
Received: 9 November 2004; Accepted: 1 January 2005; Published: 1 May 2005
KEYWORDS
Crisp
cysteine-rich secretory protein
epididymis
EST
male reproductive tract
sperm maturation
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