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Presence of DAZL transcript and protein in mature human spermatozoa
Yung Ming Lin1, Chaio Wei Chen, H Sunny Sun
1Department of Urology, National Cheng Kung University, College of Medicine, Tainan, Taiwan.
Objective:
To identify the DAZL transcript and protein location in human spermatozoa.
Design:
In vitro experiment.
Setting:
University-based reproductive genetics laboratory.
Patient(S):
A fertile volunteer.
Intervention(S):
Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, and immunostaining for DAZL.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Expression of DAZL in human spermatozoa.
Result(S):
The DAZL-specific primers yield a 128 bp product in ejaculate. A protein of approximately 33.5 kDa was detected by Western blot analysis. Immunofluorescence staining showed strong homogeneous staining in the midpiece of spermatozoa and weak staining in the principal piece. A speckled-type distribution was found in the head region.
Conclusion(S):
The DAZL transcript and protein are present in human spermatozoa. The roles of DAZL protein in sperm motility and in the sperm-oocyte interaction await further investigation.