Fibrous sheath CABYR binding protein (FSCB) is regulated by protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation in the spermatozoa capacitation. Recently, we showed that FSCB phosphorylation activated spermatozoa motility. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms have not been completely elucidated. Here, we showed that FSCB phosphorylation inhibited SUMOylation of two crucial proteins ROPN1/ROPN1L that are associated with PKA/A kinase activity and spermatozoa motility. Suppression of SUMOylation of ROPN1/ROPN1L mimicked the effects of FSCB phosphorylation on spermatozoa motility. Immunoprecipitation assay showed that phosphorylated FSCB had a significantly higher affinity to ROPN1/ROPN1L than non-phosphorylated FSCB. Together, our data suggest that FSCB phosphorylation may regulate mouse spermatozoa capacitation through suppressing SUMOylation of ROPN1/ROPN1L, which sheds new light on creating a therapeutic strategy targeting FSCB phosphorylation in the study of infertility.
Keywords: FSCB; Infertility; ROPN1/ROPN1L; SUMOylation; phosphorylation; sperm.