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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

In Vitro Polymerization of F-actin on Early Endosomes
Published on: August 28, 2017
In guinea pig sperm, aldolase A forms a complex with actin, WAS, and Arp2/3 that plays a role in actin polymerization
Natalia Chiquete-Felix1, José Manuel Hernández, J Alfredo Méndez
1Departamento de Biología Celular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), PC07360 México DF, Mexico.
Abstract:
Glycolytic enzymes have, in addition to their role in energy production, other functions in the regulation of cellular processes. Aldolase A has been reported to be present in sperm, playing a key role in glycolysis; however, despite its reported interactions with actin and WAS, little is known about a non-glycolytic role of aldolase A in sperm. Here, we show that in guinea pig spermatozoa, aldolase A is tightly associated to cytoskeletal structures where it interacts with actin, WAS, and Arp2/3. We show that aldolase A spermatozoa treatment increases their polymerized actin levels. In addition, we show that there is a direct correlation between the levels of polymerized actin and the levels of aldolase A-actin interaction. Our results suggest that aldolase A functions as a bridge between filaments of actin and the actin-polymerizing machinery.
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