Crystal structure of TEX101, a glycoprotein essential for male fertility, reveals the presence of tandemly arranged Ly6/uPAR domains.
Testis-expressed gene 101 (TEX101) is a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein essential for sperm fertility and spermatogenesis. TEX101 interacts with lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus K (Ly6k) as well as a disintegrin and metallopeptidase domain 3 (ADAM3). Although these proteins are considered essential for fertility, the associated mechanisms remain uncharacterized. Herein, we determined the crystal structure of human and mouse TEX101, revealing that TEX101 contains two tandem Ly6/uPAR (LU) domains. Detailed structural analyses revealed characteristic surfaces of TEX101 that may be involved in the interactions with other proteins or membranes. These results provide the structural basis for the role of TEX101 in fertilization and could contribute to developing diagnostic methods and treatments for infertility or developing male contraceptives.
['Masutani|Mamiko|M|', 'Sakurai|Shunya|S|', 'Shimizu|Toshiyuki|T|', 'Ohto|Umeharu|U|0000-0002-4422-4044']
D000818:Animals D002460:Cell Line D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray D004331:Drosophila melanogaster D005298:Fertility D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008565:Membrane Proteins D000072417:Protein Domains D013091:Spermatogenesis D013094:Spermatozoa
crystal structure fertility spermatogenesis X-ray crystallography