SPATC1L maintains the integrity of the sperm head-tail junction

Spermatogenesis is a tightly regulated process involving germ cell-specific and germ cell-predominant genes. Here we investigate a novel germ cell-specific gene, Spatc1l (spermatogenesis and centriole associated 1 like). Expression analyses show that SPATC1L is expressed in mouse and human testes. We find that mouse SPATC1L localizes to the neck region in testicular sperm. Moreover, SPATC1L associates with the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (PKA). Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering, we generate mice lacking SPATC1L. Disruption of Spatc1l in mice leads to male sterility owing to separation of sperm heads from tails. The lack of SPATC1L is associated with a reduction in PKA activity in testicular sperm, and we identify capping protein muscle Z-line beta as a candidate target of phosphorylation by PKA in testis. Taken together, our results implicate the SPATC1L-PKA complex in maintaining the stability of the sperm head-tail junction, thereby revealing a new molecular basis for sperm head-tail integrity.