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Updated: Feb 16, 2026

A Protocol for Computer-Based Protein Structure and Function Prediction
Published on: November 3, 2011
Structure and Function of Caltrin (Calcium Transport Inhibitor) Proteins
Ernesto Javier Grasso1,2, Carlos Enrique Coronel1,2
1Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Reproductiva, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (ICTA); Cátedra de Química Biológica, Departamento de Química Industrial y Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
Abstract:
Caltrin (calcium transport inhibitor) is a family of small and basic proteins of the mammalian seminal plasma which bind to sperm cells during ejaculation and inhibit the extracellular Ca2+ uptake, preventing the premature acrosomal exocytosis and hyperactivation when sperm cells ascend through the female reproductive tract. The binding of caltrin proteins to specific areas of the sperm surface suggests the existence of caltrin receptors, or precise protein-phospholipid arrangements in the sperm membrane, distributed in the regions where Ca2+ influx may take place. However, the molecular mechanisms of recognition and interaction between caltrin and spermatozoa have not been elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this article is to describe in depth the known structural features and functional properties of caltrin proteins, to find out how they may possibly interact with the sperm membranes to control the intracellular signaling that trigger physiological events required for fertilization.
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