Characterization of a novel tektin member, TEKT5, in mouse sperm

Tektins are important components of flagella. Alterations in the expression of or mutations in mouse tektins are correlated with defective sperm motility, a cause of male infertility. Our proteomic studies of flagellar accessory structures previously identified a novel tektin, TEKT5, whose function is unknown. To understand the role of TEKT5 in mouse sperm, we characterized the expression of the mouse Tekt5 gene and the presence of TEKT5 in spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa. A complete cDNA encoding the Tekt5 transcript was assembled following reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends and predicted that TEKT5 is a 62 730-dalton protein with an unusual, long C-terminus. Tekt5 mRNA was highly expressed during late stages of spermiogenesis. Among examined tissues, Tekt5 mRNA was present only in testis and brain, and quantitative RT-PCR showed that the expression level of mRNA in testis was 6.8-fold higher than that in brain. At the protein level, TEKT5 was present in sperm and was enriched in the accessory structures of flagella. Immunofluorescence confirmed that TEKT5 was localized throughout the sperm tail in flagellar accessory structures. The expression pattern suggests that TEKT5 plays an important role in flagella formation during spermiogenesis as well as being implicated in sperm motility.