The Human “Prion-like” Protein Doppel Is Expressed in Both Sertoli Cells and Spermatozoa

Katell Peoc'H (1, 2) , Catherine Serres (3) , Yveline Frobert (4) , Caroline Martin (1) , Sylvain Lehmann (5) , Stéphanie Chasseigneaux (1, 2) , Véronique Sazdovitch (6, 7) , Jacques Grassi (4) , Pierre Jouannet (3) , Jean-Marie Launay (1, 2) , Jean-Louis Laplanche (1, 2)

1 Hôpital Lariboisière-Fernand-Widal [APHP]
2 Biologie des maladies à prions et régulations cellulaires
3 Hôpital Cochin [AP-HP]
4 CEA - CEA- Saclay
5 IGH - Institut de génétique humaine
6 CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière [AP-HP]
7 Recherches épidémiologiques en neurologie et psychopathologie

The prion-like Doppel protein (Dpl) has many biochemical and structural properties in common with the cellular prion protein (PrP(c)), and the physiological role of neither protein is known. Experimental data suggest either direct or indirect interaction between the two proteins. In this study, we investigated the expression pattern and biochemical characteristics of Dpl in human tissues and in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with wild-type or variant human Dpl gene constructs. Human Dpl appears to be a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein with N- and O-linked sugars. It was found on Sertoli cells in the testis, on the flagella of epididymal and mature spermatozoa, and in seminal plasma. Dpl coexists only with N-terminally truncated isoforms of PrP(c) on mature spermatozoa. The localization of human Dpl on both Sertoli cells (somatic cells) and spermatozoa (germinal cells) strongly suggests that this protein may play a major role in human male fertility. Finally, our data indicate that spermatozoa are thus an interesting model for studies of the potential interaction between Dpl and PrP(c).

Domaines: Génomique, Transcriptomique et Protéomique [q-bio.GN]; Reproduction sexuée

Katell Peoc'H, Catherine Serres, Yveline Frobert, Caroline Martin, Sylvain Lehmann, et al.. The Human “Prion-like” Protein Doppel Is Expressed in Both Sertoli Cells and Spermatozoa. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2002, 277 (45), pp.43071-43078. ⟨10.1074/jbc.M206357200⟩. ⟨hal-03908442⟩