The glutathione S-transferase (GST) superfamily members play an important role in the male reproductive tract and sperm physiology. However, the expression profiles of some members of this protein family and their effect on sperm quality remain unclear. In this study, we found that GST kappa 1 (GSTK1) encoded protein is abundant in the testes and capacitated sperm acrosome. Western blot analysis revealed that the decreased abundance of GSTK1 was observed in low motile spermatozoa; moreover, GSTK1 expression decreased in sperm stored at 17°C under a long preservation time. In vitro analyses revealed that GSTK1 had no significant effect on sperm motility, capacitation, or acrosome reaction. Notably, after capacitated sperm were incubated with 4 and 8 μg/ml anti-GSTK1 antibodies, the fertilization rate significantly decreased in vitro fertilization assay. The current study demonstrates that GSTK1 is correlated with sperm quality and is a promising marker for the assessment of sperm quality and provides a basis for understanding the potential molecular mechanism for targeting pathogenic factors in male infertility.
Keywords: GSTK1; GSTs; boars; fertility; sperm quality.
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