EFFECT OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA ON VIA RAS/MAPK DURING SPERM CAPACITATION AND ACROSOME REACTION IN RABBIT NEW ZEALAND

PRATICI G; BOARELLI P V; SÁEZ LANCELLOTTI TE; FORNÉS MW

Congreso; XXXI Reunión científica anual de la SBCuyo; 2013

Cholesterol is a component of cell membranes and a protein that is involved in their metabolism is caveolin. Caveolins are a family of proteins associated to signaling, transport, cell growth control and tumor suppressor. Caveolin 1 possesses regulatory effect on signaling via the Ras / MAPK. The role of caveolin-1 is dependent on its association with membrane microdomains rich in cholesterol. The cellular levels of this sterol would be essential for the expression of caveolin-1. Genetic analyzes show that caveolin 1 is not sufficient to initiate the Ras signaling, but is necessary for regulating sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction. Caveolin-1 overexpressed by hypercholesterolemia affects the signaling pathway of Ras / MAPK, inhibiting sperm capacitation and the acrosome reaction. The objective of this project was to study the expression of caveolin 1 and pErk/Erk1, 2 for sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction in sperm seminal New Zealand adult rabbits by single and double IFI techniques and western blot.