ArticleNature communications2025
The TEX44-CPT1B axis regulates mitochondrial sheath assembly and fatty acid oxidation in sperm.
Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 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.
The trial behind it
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
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Ciliary Membrane Lipid Homeostasis in Health and Disease.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Loss-of-Function SSFA2 Variants Disrupt Fertility Through Impaired Acrosome Formation and Sperm Function.Andrology · 2026Article
- Metabolic pathways fueling human spermatozoa capacitation and hyperactivation: a roadmap for spermatozoa bioenergetics.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Unlocking Parkinson's disease: harnessing the untapped potential of fatty acid metabolism in disease pathogenesis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Predictive value of sperm DFI, ROS, and MMP forFrontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Targeting SKAP2 restores sperm motility and morphology through modulating mitochondrial organization and cytoskeletal remodeling.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
26 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) is essential for energy production and cellular homeostasis, yet its role in sperm function has remained unclear. Through whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 800 patients with asthenozoospermia, we identified biallelic Testis-Expressed Protein 44 (TEX44) variants in six individuals, all of whom exhibited defective mitochondrial sheath assembly and impaired sperm motility. Using Tex44 knockout mice, we show that TEX44 interacts with carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1B (CPT1B) to form a mitochondrial glue, anchoring adjacent mitochondria and facilitating the assembly of the sperm-specific mitochondrial sheath. In vitro, we show that purified TEX44 protein can modulate CPT1B enzymatic activity, limiting the conversion of long-chain fatty acids such as palmitic acid and myristic acid into acyl-carnitines, thereby reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Loss of TEX44 disrupts this regulatory mechanism, leading to unregulated FAO, excessive ROS generation, and severe oxidative damage to sperm DNA and flagellar structure. Additionally, germ cell-specific Cpt1b knockout mice exhibit phenotypes similar to TEX44 deficiency, including mitochondrial sheath defects and reduced sperm motility. These findings reveal a sperm-specific mechanism by which TEX44 regulates CPT1B activity to balance FAO and ROS generation, providing critical insights into energy metabolism, mitochondrial integrity, and 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.