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Review
. 2014 Dec;1842(12 Pt B):2610-20.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.07.013. Epub 2014 Jul 24.

Central role of soluble adenylyl cyclase and cAMP in sperm physiology

Mariano G Buffone  1 , Eva V Wertheimer  2 , Pablo E Visconti  3 , Dario Krapf  4
Affiliations
Review

Central role of soluble adenylyl cyclase and cAMP in sperm physiology

Mariano G Buffone et al. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), the first second messenger to be described, plays a central role in cell signaling in a wide variety of cell types. Over the last decades, a wide body of literature addressed the different roles of cAMP in cell physiology, mainly in response to neurotransmitters and hormones. cAMP is synthesized by a wide variety of adenylyl cyclases that can generally be grouped in two types: transmembrane adenylyl cyclase and soluble adenylyl cyclases. In particular, several aspects of sperm physiology are regulated by cAMP produced by a single atypical adenylyl cyclase (Adcy10, aka sAC, SACY). The signature that identifies sAC among other ACs, is their direct stimulation by bicarbonate. The essential nature of cAMP in sperm function has been demonstrated using gain of function as well as loss of function approaches. This review unifies state of the art knowledge of the role of cAMP and those enzymes involved in cAMP signaling pathways required for the acquisition of fertilizing capacity of mammalian sperm. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The role of soluble adenylyl cyclase in health and disease.

Keywords: Soluble adenylyl cyclase; Sperm capacitation; Transmembrane adenylyl cyclase; cAMP.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Model of main pathways of sperm capacitation where cAMP is directly involved
Model of cAMP pathways acting during mammalian sperm capacitation. Two different sources of cAMP orchestrate signaling pathways in the sperm head (A) and in the principal piece (B). In the head, a tmAC increases cAMP levels which act primarily on EPAC, leading to the preparation to undergo the acrosome reaction. In the sperm flagellum, cAMP is increased through the synergic effect of Ca2+ and HCO3 stimulation of sAC. The increased pool of cAMP acts on PKA, as well as on CNG channels and NHE channels. These molecules impact directly on the tyrosine phosphorylation pathway that correlates to sperm capacitation. See text for details.
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