Fig. 7 | Nature Communications

Fig. 7

From: Loss-of-function mutations in QRICH2 cause male infertility with multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella

Fig. 7

The mechanisms were elucidated by proposed models. a The mechanisms of QRICH2 modulating the development of sperm flagella. QRICH2 promoted sperm flagellar formation through upregulating ODF2 and CABYR expression as a transcription factor, inhibiting ubiquitin-mediated degradation of AKAP3, TSSK4, and ROPN1 and finally reinforcing the interaction of AKAP3/CABYR/ROPN1 and TSSK4/ODF2 during the biogenesis of sperm flagella. b–d Effects of QRICH2 mutations on the structural conformation of QRICH2 protein. Superimposed structures of wild type (green) and mutant (purple) of QRICH2. The structures of QRICH2 protein were changed by the mutations of c.3313C>A [p.Q1105K] (b), c.3335G>A [p.G1112E] (c) and c.4039A>G [p.M1347V] (d). e The difference of the abnormal sperm tail number between WT mice and Ht mice was not significant. (Student’s t-test; n = 3 biologically independent WT mice or Ht mice; NS not significant; error bars, s.e.m)

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