Microgravity alters protein phosphorylation changes during initiation of sea urchin sperm motility

European Space Agency (ESA) studies demonstrated that bull sperm swim with higher velocity in microgravity (microG) than at 1 G. Coupling between protein phosphorylation and sperm motility during activation in microG and at 1 G was examined in the ESA Biorack on two space shuttle missions. Immotile sperm were activated to swim (86-90% motility) at launch +20 h by dilution into artificial seawater (ASW). Parallel ground controls were performed 2 h after the flight experiment. Activation after 0, 30, and 60 s was terminated with electrophoresis sample buffer and samples analyzed for phosphoamino acids by Western blotting. Phosphorylation of a 130-kDa phosphothreonine-containing protein (FP130) occurred three to four times faster in microG than at 1 G. A 32-kDa phosphoserine-containing protein was significantly stimulated at 30 s but returned to 1 G control levels at 60 s. The rate of FP130 phosphorylation in microG was attenuated by D2O, suggesting that changes in water properties participate in altering signal transduction. Changes in FP130 phosphorylation triggered by the egg peptide speract were delayed in microG. These results demonstrate that previously observed effects of microG on sperm motility are coupled to changes in phosphorylation of specific flagellar proteins and that early events of sperm activation and fertilization are altered in microG.