Journal of Andrology, Vol 10, Issue 2 99-107, Copyright © 1989 by The American Society of Andrology

REVIEW

Molecular basis of signalling in the spermatozoon

D. L. Garbers
Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0295.

The spermatozoon contains cell surface receptors for various egg-associated molecules, one of which has now been identified as the enzyme guanylate cyclase. A single membrane-spanning region divides the enzyme such that about one-half is extracellular and one-half is intracellular. A new paradigm for signal/transduction is established by these observations, in that a hormone or effector molecule binding to an extracellular site activates the catalytic domain of the same protein, resulting in the increased formation of a low molecular weight second messenger. Research on signalling mechanisms in the spermatozoon clearly apply to a diversity of cellular processes as well as to fertilization.

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