ArticleReproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E2018
Expression of cystatin C in the female reproductive tract and its effect on human sperm capacitation.
Article in Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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14 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- A special perspective on human fertilization: The role of sperm capacitation proteins and channels: A narrative review.International journal of reproductive biomedicine · 2025Review
- Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Clomiphene Citrate-induced Changes in the Secretome Profile of PAX8-positive Human Fallopian Tube Secretory Epithelial Cells and Identification of Biomarkers Relevant to Reproduction and Pregnancy.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2025Article
- Effects of Mogroside V on Quality and Antioxidant Activity of Boar Frozen-Thawed Sperm.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Bottom-up approach to deciphering the targets of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in porcine sperm capacitation.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Proteomic analysis reveals dynamic changes in cloacal fluid composition during the reproductive season in a sexually promiscuous passerine.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Differential protein repertoires related to sperm function identified in extracellular vesicles (EVs) in seminal plasma of distinct fertility buffalo (Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Article
- iTRAQ-based comparative proteomics reveal an enhancing role of PRDX6 in the freezability of Mediterranean buffalo sperm.BMC genomics · 2023Article
- Basolateral secretions of human endometrial epithelial organoids impact stromal cell decidualization.Molecular human reproduction · 2023Article
- Evaluation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and S-adenosyl-methionine level in male infertility: A case-control study.International journal of reproductive biomedicine · 2022Article
- Identification and Structure Prediction of Human Septin-4 as a Biomarker for Diagnosis of Asthenozoospermic Infertile Patients-Critical Finding Toward Personalized Medicine.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Article
- Boar sperm quality and oxidative status as affected by rosmarinic acid at 17 °C.Tropical animal health and production · 2020Article
- Article
- Stable-protein Pair Analysis as A Novel Strategy to Identify Proteomic Signatures: Application To Seminal Plasma From Infertile Patients.Molecular & cellular proteomics : MCP · 2019Article
- Serine Protease Inhibitor SERPINE2 Reversibly Modulates Murine Sperm Capacitation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCystatin C (CST3), a cysteine protease inhibitor in seminal plasma, is expressed in animal uteri. However, its expression in the human female reproductive tract and its effect on human sperm capacitation are unclear.
methodsThe cellular localization of CST3 was observed using immunohistochemistry. The binding of CST3 to sperm was examined using immunocytochemistry. Sperm motility parameters were analyzed using computer-assisted sperm analysis. Sperm capacitation was evaluated by analyzing cholesterol content, protein tyrosine phosphorylation levels, and the acrosome reaction.
resultsImmunohistochemical staining demonstrated that CST3 is prominently expressed in the female reproductive tract, including the epithelial lining and cervix and endometrium fluids, particularly at times near ovulation. It can bind to human sperm on the post-acrosomal head region and the mid and principal piece of the tail. CST3 enhances sperm motility and inhibits the signal initiating sperm capacitation, i.e., efflux of cholesterol from the sperm plasma membrane and a late sperm capacitation event, i.e., the increase in the sperm protein tyrosine phosphorylation. The suppressive trend on sperm acrosome reaction further supports CST3's ability to inhibit sperm capacitation.
conclusionsThese findings suggest that cervical CST3 may prevent precocious capacitation and acrosome reaction, thus preserving sperm fertilizing ability before it reaches the fallopian tube. Additionally, CST3 may help sperm enter the upper reproductive tract by enhancing sperm motility.
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