Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Measuring Sperm Guidance and Motility within the Caenorhabditis elegans Hermaphrodite Reproductive Tract
10:07

Measuring Sperm Guidance and Motility within the Caenorhabditis elegans Hermaphrodite Reproductive Tract

Published on: June 6, 2019

Nematode sperm: amoeboid movement without actin

T M Roberts1, M Stewart

  • 1The Dept of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.

Trends in Cell Biology
|August 22, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Nematode sperm use a unique major sperm protein (MSP) filament system for crawling motility, distinct from actin-based systems. Research reveals shared mechanistic principles underlying amoeboid movement in both systems.

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Reproductive biology

Background:

  • Nematode sperm exhibit amoeboid motility, unlike typical actin-driven cell movement.
  • Their motility relies on a unique major sperm protein (MSP) filament system, lacking F-actin.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent investigations into the structural properties of MSP.
  • To understand the physical basis of amoeboid movement powered by MSP.
  • To compare MSP-based motility with actin-based systems.

Main Methods:

  • In vivo and in vitro reconstitution of the MSP motility apparatus.
  • Structural analysis of major sperm protein (MSP).
  • Biophysical studies of filament dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Key structural properties of MSP essential for motility have been identified.
  • The MSP-based motility apparatus can be reconstituted experimentally.
  • Mechanistic similarities exist between MSP-based and actin-based motility.

Conclusions:

  • Nematode sperm provide a simplified model for studying amoeboid movement.
  • Understanding MSP-based motility offers insights into fundamental biophysical principles of cell locomotion.
  • Shared mechanisms highlight conserved principles in biological motility systems.

More Related Videos

Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction10:03

Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction

Published on: October 25, 2012

Isolation and In vitro Activation of Caenorhabditis elegans Sperm05:46

Isolation and In vitro Activation of Caenorhabditis elegans Sperm

Published on: January 31, 2011

Related Concept Videos

Diversity of Protists IV01:27

Diversity of Protists IV

Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...
Microtubules in Cell Motility01:24

Microtubules in Cell Motility

Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
Microtubules in Cell Motility01:24

Microtubules in Cell Motility

Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles01:43

The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles

In eukaryotic cells,  cytoskeletal filaments such as actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments form a mesh-like cytoskeletal network. These filaments serve as tracks for transporting cellular cargo. Specialized motor proteins use the chemical energy stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for this transport. During interphase, microtubules are polarized, with the plus-end towards the cell periphery and the minus-end towards the cell center. Two microtubule-associated motor proteins,...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins01:32

Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins

Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular cargos...