Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026
10:07
High-throughput Measurement of Plasma Membrane Resealing Efficiency in Mammalian Cells
Published on: January 7, 2019
7.1K
Lipocalin 2 as a membrane-reorganizing agent.
1Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, 400 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. dlingwood@mgh.harvard.edu.
Science Signaling
|August 14, 2014
Summary
Researchers found that lipocalin 2, a protein from the female reproductive tract, helps sperm prepare for fertilization by changing their membrane properties. This discovery highlights lipocalins
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Molecular and cellular biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Lipocalins are versatile proteins involved in transporting hydrophobic molecules across biological systems.
- Their roles span diverse physiological contexts, including immunity, neuroscience, and oncology.
- The specific functions of lipocalins in reproductive physiology remain an area of active investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of lipocalin 2 in the female mouse reproductive tract.
- To determine if lipocalin 2 acts as a sperm-capacitating agent.
- To explore the mechanisms by which lipocalin 2 influences sperm function and fertilization.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of lipocalin 2 expression in the female reproductive tract.
- Biochemical assays to assess the effect of lipocalin 2 on sperm membrane properties.
- In vitro fertilization experiments to evaluate the impact of lipocalin 2 on fertilization rates.
Main Results:
- Lipocalin 2 is produced by the female mouse reproductive tract.
- Lipocalin 2 was identified as a sperm-capacitating agent.
- Treatment with lipocalin 2 altered the membrane properties of sperm, enhancing their fertilizing capacity.
Conclusions:
- Lipocalin 2 plays a crucial role in sperm capacitation within the female reproductive tract.
- These findings suggest lipocalins may broadly modulate plasma membrane bioactivity.
- Further research into lipocalin function could reveal new targets for reproductive health interventions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:22Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane
1.8K
Cell division and enlargement are processes that require precise control. The control ensures that cell division cannot proceed unless the cell has grown to a specific size. A spherical, dividing cell requires an approximately 1.6X increase in its surface area to double its volume. The secretory pathway also has a significant role in cell membrane enlargement. Secretory vesicles that bud off from the Golgi apparatus and later fuse with the plasma membrane during exocytosis are a major source of...
1.8K
01:45Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
2.5K
Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...
2.5K
01:28Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
3.2K
Biological membranes are more than just a barrier separating cell cytoplasm from the outside environment. They are highly dynamic and help maintain the integrity and physiological stability of the cells as well as membrane-bound organelles. Membranes also play vital roles in cell-to-cell and intracellular communication.
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
3.2K
01:38Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
105.3K
Overview
105.3K
00:59COP Coated Vesicles
12.6K
Membrane-enclosed structures called vesicles transport proteins and lipids across the cell. The vesicles derive their cargo from the plasma membrane, Golgi, ER, or endosome. Coated vesicles are spherical, protein-coated carriers with a 50–100 nm diameter that mediate bidirectional transport between the ER and the Golgi. The distribution of proteins between the ER and Golgi complex is dynamic and is maintained by different coated vesicles. Their formation is driven by the assembly of...
12.6K
01:19Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters
5.9K
Enzymes like flippase, floppase, and scramblase transfer phospholipids from one layer to another in the membrane, thereby affecting membrane asymmetry.
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
5.9K