INVOLVEMENT OF CRISP PROTEINS IN EARLY EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT

SULZYK V; REBAGLIATTI CID A; WEIGEL MUÑOZ M; CUASNICÚ PS

Congreso; Fertilization and Activation of Development Gordon Research Conference; 2023

CRISP (Cysteine-Rich Secretory Proteins) family proteins are mainly expressed in the male reproductive tract and play key roles in mammalian fertilization. Evidence obtained so far indicates that CRISP proteins "escort"sperm from their production in the testes, followed by their maturation in the epididymis, their contact with the secretions of the accessory sex glands during ejaculation, their capacitation in the female tract and, finally,their participation in gamete interaction. However, in spite of their important functional roles, knock out males for each of these proteins remain fertile, suggesting the existence of compensatory mechanisms among homologous CRISP family members. Supporting this hypothesis, development of mice lacking both CRISP1 and CRISP3 (C1/C3DKO) using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique revealed that mutant males are subfertile. In view of this, the aim of the present work was to elucidate the mechanisms leading to C1/C3 DKO reproductive phenotype.