Glycobiology Advance Access originally published online on May 29, 2006
Glycobiology 2006 16(9):786-800; doi:10.1093/glycob/cwl007
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Identification and expression analysis of Drosophila melanogaster genes encoding ß-hexosaminidases of the sperm plasma membrane
2 Department of Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy; and 3 Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Kohoku Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 2238522, Japan
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed; e-mail: elisa.perotti{at}unimi.it
Received on November 9, 2005; revised on May 22, 2006; accepted on May 25, 2006
Sperm surface ß-N-acetylhexosaminidases are among the molecules mediating early gamete interactions in invertebrates and vertebrates, including man. The plasma membrane of Drosophila spermatozoa contains two ß-N-acetylhexosaminidases, DmHEXA and DmHEXB, which are required for egg fertilization. Here, we demonstrate that three putative Drosophila melanogaster genes predicted to code for ß-N-acetylhexosaminidases, Hexo1, Hexo2, and fdl, are all expressed in the male germ line. fdl codes for a homolog of the 
-subunit of the mammalian lysosomal ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase Hex A. Hexo1 and Hexo2 encode two homologs of the ß-subunit of all known ß-N-acetylhexosaminidases, which we have named ß1 and ß2, respectively. Immunoblot analysis of sperm proteins indicated that the gene products associate in different heterodimeric combinations forming DmHEXA, with an ß2 structure, and DmHEXB, with a ß1ß2 structure. Immunofluorescence demonstrated that all the gene products localized to the sperm plasma membrane. Although none of the genes was testis-specific, fdl was highly and preferentially expressed in the testis, whereas Hexo1 and Hexo2 showed broader tissue expression. Enzyme assays carried out on testis and on a variety of somatic tissues corroborated the results of gene expression analysis. These findings for the first time show the in vivo expression in insects of genes encoding ß-N-acetylhexosaminidases, the only molecules so far identified as involved in sperm/egg recognition in this class, whereas in mammals, the organisms where these enzymes have been best studied, only two types of polypeptide chains forming dimeric functional ß-N-acetylhexosaminidases are present in Drosophila three different gene products are available that might generate numerous dimeric isoforms.
Key words: fertilization / gamete interactions / fdl / Hexo1 / Hexo2
* These authors equally contributed to this work.
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