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Structural basis for amoeboid motility in nematode sperm

Nature Structural Biology volume 5, pages 184–189 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

Cell locomotion in amoeboid nematode sperm is generated by the vectorial assembly and bundling of filaments of the major sperm protein (MSP). MSP filaments are constructed from two helical subfilaments and here we describe the structure of putative MSP subfilament helices determined by X-ray crystallography at 3.3 Å resolution. In addition to establishing the interfaces involved in polymerization, this structural model shows that the MSP helices are constructed from dimers and have no overall polarity, suggesting that it is unlikely that molecular motors play a direct role in the generation of protrusive force in these amoeboid cells.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Timothy L. Bullock

    Present address: Department of Chemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Rd., Cambridge, CB2 2QH, UK

    Timothy L. Bullock, Airlie J. McCoy, Helen M. Kent & Murray Stewart

  2. Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306, USA

    Thomas M. Roberts

Authors
  1. Timothy L. Bullock
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  2. Airlie J. McCoy
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  3. Helen M. Kent
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  4. Thomas M. Roberts
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  5. Murray Stewart
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Murray Stewart.

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Bullock, T., McCoy, A., Kent, H. et al. Structural basis for amoeboid motility in nematode sperm. Nat Struct Mol Biol 5, 184–189 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0398-184

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