Molecular Human Reproduction, Vol.19, No.5 pp. 327–335, 2013 Advanced Access publication on January 12, 2013 doi:10.1093/molehr/gat001 ORIGINAL RESEARCH ADP-ribosylation factor-like 3, a manchette-associated protein, is essential for mouse spermiogenesis Yujuan Qi†, Min Jiang†, Yan Yuan, Ye Bi, Bo Zheng, Xuejiang Guo, Xiaoyan Huang*, Zuomin Zhou*, and Jiahao Sha State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Nanjing Medical University, 140 Hanzhong Road, Downloaded from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210029, China *Correspondence address. Tel: +86-025-86862908; Fax: +86-025-86862908; E-mail:
[email protected] (X.H.);
[email protected] (Z.Z.) Submitted on October 29, 2012; resubmitted on December 24, 2012; accepted on January 4, 2013 http://molehr.oxfordjournals.org/ abstract: During spermiogenesis, the manchette is an important structure for sperm head and tail formation. However, the mechan- isms responsible for this process are poorly understood. In a previous study, we established a comparative proteome profile for mouse testis during the first wave of spermatogenesis, and provided lists of proteins of potential importance in the regulation of male fertility and infertility. Here we have selected Arl3, one of these interesting proteins, and investigated its expression and function during spermiogenesis. Western blotting was used to determine Arl3 expression levels in mice at different time points from birth to adulthood. The results show Arl3 was expressed from birth, and the expression level increased significantly from Week 4, when mouse spermiogenesis begins. Immunohistochem- istry and indirect immunofluorescence were used to investigate the Arl3 expression during sperm development, and the intracellular local- ization of Arl3 in more detail.