Involvement of a P2X7 Receptor in the Acrosome Reaction Induced By
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE 3068 JournalJournal ofof Cellular Involvement of a P2X7 Receptor Physiology in the Acrosome Reaction Induced by ATP in Rat Spermatozoa JORGE L. TORRES-FUENTES, MARIANA RIOS, AND RICARDO D. MORENO* Departamento de Fisiologıa, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile The acrosome reaction (AR) is the exocytosis of the acrosomal vesicle in response to different physiological and non-physiological stimuli. Particularly in mammals, the AR is needed for sperm to fuse with the oocyte plasma membrane, and it occurs only in capacitated sperm. Previous evidence in the literature indicates that extracellular ATP induces the AR in capacitated human and bovine spermatozoa, but its receptor has not yet been identified. The aim of this work was to define a putative ATP receptor in rat spermatozoa using pharmacological and biochemical approaches. We found that ATP induced the AR only in capacitated rat spermatozoa, which was inhibited in the presence of two general inhibitors of ATP receptors (P2 receptors), Suramin, and oxidized ATP (oATP), and one inhibitor of P2X receptor (pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-20,40-disulfonic acid [PPADS]). In addition, the AR induced by ATP in capacitated rat spermatozoa was inhibited by brilliant blue-G (BB-G) and 17-b-oestradiol, two blockers of P2X7 receptors. Moreover, the ATP analog 20 (30)-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl) ATP (BzATP) was almost 500 times more potent than ATP to induce the AR, which agrees with the pharmacology of a P2X7 receptor. Here, we show the presence of P2X7 receptor by Western blot and its localization in the tail and acrosome by indirect immunofluorescence. Finally, we quantify the presence of ATP in the rat oviduct during the estrous cycle. We found that the ATP concentration within the lumen of the oviduct is similar to those required to induce acrosome reaction, which agree with its role during in vivo fertilization. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that ATP induces the AR in capacitated rat spermatozoa through a P2X7 receptor, which may be functional during in vivo fertilization. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 3068–3075, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. It is known that mammalian ejaculated sperm are not capable of (P2X1, P2X2, P2X3, P2X4, P2X5, and P2X7) or heteromeric fertilizing eggs when they leave the male reproductive tract (P2X2/3 and P2X1/5). They are differentially expressed in (Barros et al., 1996; Yanagimachi, 2011) because they need to different tissues and throughout the entire male reproductive undergo a series of biochemical changes known as tract (Burnstock, 2013). The presence of different P2X “capacitation,” before they bind and fuse with the oocyte receptors can be determined by the use of specific antibodies plasma membrane (Austin, 1951; Chang, 1951). These changes or different agonist or antagonists such as occur during female genital tract transit and can be mimicked in pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-20,40-disulfonic acid vitro in a chemically defined culture medium or capacitating (PPADS), 20,30-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-ATP (oATP), Suramin medium (CM; Visconti et al., 1995a,b; Salicioni et al., 2007). The or Coomassie blue brillant-G (North, 2002). endpoint of capacitation is the acrosome reaction (AR), which Extracellular ATP induces AR at concentrations above is the exocitosis of the acrosomal vesicle localized over the 500 mM in humans (Foresta et al., 1992) and bovine sperm head (Barros et al., 1967; Ramalho-Santos et al., 2002; spermatozoa (Luria et al., 2002). One report shows that Moreno and Alvarado, 2006; Zanetti and Mayorga, 2009). The extracellular ATP activate P2X2 receptors in non-capacitated acrosome is an acid compartment derived from Golgi vesicles mouse spermatozoa causing a large and fast-activating inward and lysosomes containing hydrolytic enzymes that supposedly current (Navarro et al., 2011). However, genetic ablation of help the sperm to cross the zona pellucida (Barros et al., 1992; P2X2 receptor does not have any consequence in fertilization, Moreno, 2003; Codelia et al., 2005; Moreno and Alvarado, suggesting the participation of other P2 receptors. In addition, 2006; Yanagimachi, 2011). In addition, the AR changes the ATP can induce intracellular calcium to increase in a post-acrosomal membrane in order to prepare the sperm to concentration-dependent manner in the mouse head fuse with the egg’s plasma membrane (Barros et al., 1992; Inoue et al., 2005; Moreno et al., 2011) During the AR, there is a massive increase in the intracellular free calcium that triggers the membrane fusion machinery between the outer acrosomal membrane and the adjacent Contract grant sponsor: FONDECYT; plasma membrane (Darszon et al., 2005). In addition, the AR Contract grant number: 1110778. dissipates the acid intra-acrosomal pH, and soluble proteins *Correspondence to: Ricardo D. Moreno, Departamento de and active proteases are released to the extracellular milieu Fisiologıa, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Pontificia Universidad (Barros et al., 1992; Codelia et al., 2005; Buffone et al., 2009a,b). Catolica de Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile. However, recent experiments have cast doubt about the real E-mail: [email protected] physiological role of the zona pellucida as the inducer of the AR Manuscript Received: 27 December 2014 (Hirohashi et al., 2011; Inoue et al., 2011). Manuscript Accepted: 11 May 2015 Purinergic P2X receptors are transmembrane ion channels Accepted manuscript online in Wiley Online Library that open in response to the binding of extracellular ATP and (wileyonlinelibrary.com): 18 May 2015. elicit different physiological responses. Channels form as DOI: 10.1002/jcp.25044 multimers of several subunits, which could be homomeric © 2015 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC. INVOLVEMENT OF A P2X7 RECEPTOR IN THE ACROSOME REACTION 3069 independent of CATSPER channel (Xia and Ren, 2009), The acrosome reaction was evaluated by the Coomassie blue suggesting that other channels could also be involved in the AR. dye technique (Bendahmane et al., 2002; Cisternas and Moreno, Giving the previous antecedents, the major goal of this work 2006). In brief, fixed spermatozoa were washed three times with was to a characterize a putative ATP receptor involved in the 100 mM ammonium acetate by centrifugation at 3,000 rpm, layered AR in rat spermatozoa. into microscope glass slides and dried at 30°C. Slides were washed in methanol, distilled water and methanol for 5 min at room Materials and Methods temperature, submerged in Coomassie brilliant blue G-250 Animals solution for 2 min, washed with distilled water and mounted with Entellan (Merck). All samples were observed in a phase contrast Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were acquired from the Animal light microscope with objective Â40 (Olympus CX31, Tokyo, Facility of our institution. The rats were housed under a 12L:12D Japan) and at least 200 cells were counted for acrosome negative cycle with water and rat chow ad libitum and they were killed by or positive staining from at least three different rats. high CO2 atmosphere. Investigations were conducted in accordance with the rules laid down by the Consortium for Indirect inmunofluorescence Developing a Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching and by the National Research Rat spermatozoa were extracted in NCM and fixed as indicate Council. All animal protocols were endorsed by the Chilean above. Fixed samples were washed with PBS by centrifugation at National Fund of Science and Technology (FONDECYT). 3,000 rpm for 5 min, layered into microscope glass slides and dried at 30°C. Slides were washed twice with PBS, and cells were Reagents permeabilized with Triton X-100 1%-PBS for 10 min. Non-specific reaction sites were blocked with 3% BSA-PBS for 0 Adenosine-5 -triphosphoric acid disodium salt (ATP) was 1 h and incubated overnight with a rabbit anti-P2RX7 (dilution purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany), adenosine 1:200) antibody at 4°C in a humidified chamber. Then, samples 1 50-triphosphate, periodate oxidized sodium salt (oATP), and were washed three times in PBS, incubated with Alexa Fluor suramin sodium (Suramin) were purchased from Santa Cruz 488 donkey anti-rabbit antibody for 3 h, washed three times and Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA), 20(30)-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl) incubated with 1 mM PI/0.1%Tween-PBS for 15 min at room adenosine-50-triphosphate triethylammonium salt (BzATP), and temperature in a humidified chamber protected from light. rabbit anti-P2RX7 antibody (ab77413) were obtained from Abcam Finally, samples were washed and mounted in Fluoromount (Cambridge, England); goat anti-rabbit IgG HRP and anti-mouse mounting medium (Sigma) and observed under a Bx51 IgG (H þ L) HRP antibodies were acquired from KPL fluorescence inverted microscopy (Olympus, Center Valley, PA) (Gaithersburg, MD); mouse anti-b-tubulin antibody (32-2600), and photographed with a PM-30 digital camera (Olympus). 1 Alexa Fluor 488 donkey anti-rabbit antibody (A-21206), and Propidium iodide (PI) were acquired from Life technologies Spermatozoa protein extraction and Western blotting (Carlsbad, CA); pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-20,40-disulfonic acid (PPADS), Coomassie brilliant blue-G (BB-G) (B0770), Sperm protein extraction was performed by homogenizing sperm 17b-estradiol (E8875) (17b-E2), BSA, and other reagents were suspensions in a buffer containing 1 M NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, purchased from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). 10 mg/ml PMSF, 1% Triton X-100, 20 mM Tris–HCl pH 7.4, plus a protease inhibitor cocktail (Sigma) including 2 mM AEBSF fl Rat sperm capacitation [4-(2-Aminoethyl) benzenesulfonyl uoride hydrochloride], 0.3 mM aprotinin, 130 mM bestatin hydrochloride, 14 mME-64, Caudal epididymal sperms were collected from 4-month-old male 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM leupeptin hemisulfatein then centrifuged for Sprague–Dawley rats. Cauda epididymis of each animal was placed 10 min at 10,000g at 4°C. Proteins were resolved on a 7% into 3 ml of non-capacitating medium (NCM), containing 86.8 mM polyacrylamide gel (SDS–PAGE) under reducing and denaturing NaCl, 4.17 mM KCl, 3.5 mM CaCl2 Á 2H2O, 1.22 mM conditions then transferred to nitrocellulose at 400 mA for 2 h.