Tubulin modifications in human gametes : from the oocytes spindle to the sperm flagellum : Characterization of tubulin post translational modifications in female meiosis and sperm pathologies

Karamtzioti, Paraskevi

Tubulin modifications in human gametes : from the oocytes spindle to the sperm flagellum : Characterization of tubulin post translational modifications in female meiosis and sperm pathologies

Document Type

Doctoral thesis
Published Version

Author

Karamtzioti, Paraskevi

Director

Vassena, Rita

Publication Date

2021-02-01

Pages

194 p.

Citation

Karamtzioti, P. Tubulin modifications in human gametes : from the oocytes spindle to the sperm flagellum : Characterization of tubulin post translational modifications in female meiosis and sperm pathologies. 2021. handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670643

This citation was generated automatically.

Doctoral program

Programa de doctorat en Biomedicina

Abstract

This thesis aimed to characterize the tubulin PTM profile of human oocytes and spermatozoa. Tubulin rich structures play critical roles in the cellular behavior of human gametes. Mutations in tubulin or related proteins can affect oocyte maturation and flagellum motility. We first focused on tubulin post-translational modifications (PTMs) in the oocyte spindle and sperm flagellum. We characterized the PTM spindle profile of MII oocytes cultured in vitro and matured in vivo, and compared PTM enzyme transcript levels with two additional groups: GV and failed to mature oocytes. Further determination of the transcripts’ translational fate was performed using the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element code with verification experiments on Xenopus oocytes. Additionally, we sought to deteremine the pattern and levels of tubulin PTMs along the sperm tail and correlate these profiles with pathologies like asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia.
Esta tesis tuvo como objetivo caracterizar el perfil de PTM de los microtúbulos de ovocitos y espermatozoides humanos. Las estructuras ricas en tubulina juegan un papel fundamental en el comportamiento celular de los gametos humanos. Las mutaciones en la tubulina o proteínas relacionadas pueden afectar la maduración de los ovocitos y la motilidad del flagelo. En primer lugar, nos centramos en las modificaciones posteriores a la traducción (PTM) de la tubulina en el huso del ovocito y el flagelo del esperma. Caracterizamos el perfil de PTM del huso en ovocitos de MII cultivados in vitro y madurados in vivo, y comparamos los niveles de transcripción de PTM enzimas con dos grupos adicionales: GV y ovocitos que no maduraron. Además se estudió la regulación de la transcripción de los RNA mensajeros por el código del elemento de poliadenilación citoplásmica con experimentos en oocitos de Xenopus. Además, investigamos el patrón y los niveles de PTM de tubulina a lo largo de la cola del esperma y su correlacioón potencial con patologías como la astenozoospermia y la teratozoospermia.

Keywords

Oocytes, Tubulin, Microtubules, Post-translational modifications, Spermatozoa, Ovocitos, Tubulina, Microtúbulos, Modificaciones postraduccionales, Espermatozoide