ReviewNature reviews. Urology2012
Multifunctional glycoprotein DEFB126--a curious story of defensin-clad spermatozoa.
Review in Nature reviews. Urology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 112 citations in OpenAlex.
- Molecular Profiling of Extracellular Vesicles Isolated from Boar Reproductive Fluids.Journal of extracellular vesicles · 2026Article
- Polystyrene nanoplastics disrupt epididymal initial segment by perturbing NK cell differentiation and epithelial homeostasis.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2025Article
- Epididymal epithelial cells facilitate NEU1 loading to modulate sperm α-2,6 sialylation, enhance maturation and motility.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2025Article
- Beta-defensin 126 (DEFB126) localization and expression in the sperms and male reproductive tract of the dromedary camel (Open veterinary journal · 2025Article
- β-Defensin gene copy number variation in cattle.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- Understanding the Dynamics of Human Defensin Antimicrobial Peptides: Pathogen Resistance and Commensal Induction.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2024Review
- Biological function of sialic acid and sialylation in human health and disease.Cell death discovery · 2024Review
- The proteomic landscape of sperm surface deciphers its maturational and functional aspects in buffalo.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Mechanisms and regulation of defensins in host defense.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2023Review
- Evolutionary trend of bovine β-defensin proteins toward functionality prediction: A domain-based bioinformatics study.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Defensins: defenders of human reproductive health.Human reproduction update · 2023Review
- Analysis of amplification and association polymorphisms in the bovine beta-defensin 129 (BBD129) gene revealed its function in bull fertility.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Involvement of Porcine β-Defensin 129 in Sperm Capacitation and Rescue of Poor Sperm in Genital Tract Infection.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Calcium Homeostasis in the Epididymal Microenvironment:Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Review
- Diversity of sialic acids and sialoglycoproteins in gametes and at fertilization.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Review
- Engineering sperm-binding IgG antibodies for the development of an effective nonhormonal female contraception.Science translational medicine · 2021Article
- Buffalo sperm surface proteome profiling reveals an intricate relationship between innate immunity and reproduction.BMC genomics · 2021Article
- A Multi-Omics Study of Human Testis and Epididymis.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Mannosylated glycoconjugates on the surface of activated sperm in the giant freshwater prawn are crucial for sperm binding with the egg vitelline envelop.Cell and tissue research · 2021Article
- Sperm DNA methylation mediates the association of male age on reproductive outcomes among couples undergoing infertility treatment.Scientific reports · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
During maturation, the surface of mammalian spermatozoa undergoes dramatic changes leading to the acquisition of properties vital for survival and performance in the female reproductive tract. A prominent change is the addition to the sperm surface of an atypical β-defensin polypeptide. In primates, the β-defensin DEFB126 becomes adsorbed to the entire sperm surface as spermatozoa move through the epididymal duct. DEFB126 has a conserved β-defensin core and a unique long glycosylated peptide tail. The carbohydrates of this domain contribute substantially to the sperm glycocalyx. DEFB126 is critical for efficient transport of sperm in the female reproductive tract, preventing their recognition by the female immune system, and might facilitate the delivery of capacitated sperm to the site of fertilization. A newly discovered dinucleotide deletion in the human DEFB126 gene is unusually common in diverse populations and results in a null allele. Predictably, men who are homozygous for the deletion produce sperm with an altered glycocalyx and impaired function, and have reduced fertility. Insights into the biology of DEFB126 are contributing to a better understanding of reproductive fitness in humans, as well as the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for male infertility.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.