Targeted disruption of Slc2a8 (GLUT8) reduces motility and mitochondrial potential of spermatozoa

GLUT8 is a class 3 sugar transport facilitator which is predominantly expressed in testis and also detected in brain, heart, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, adrenal gland, and liver. Since its physiological function in these tissues is unknown, we generated a Slc2a8 null mouse and characterized its phenotype. Slc2a8 knockout mice appeared healthy and exhibited normal growth, body weight development and glycemic control, indicating that GLUT8 does not play a significant role for maintenance of whole body glucose homeostasis. However, analysis of the offspring distribution of heterozygous mating indicated a lower number of Slc2a8 knockout offspring (30.5:47.3:22.1%, Slc2a8+/+, Slc2a8+/−, and Slc2a8−/− mice, respectively) resulting in a deviation (p = 0.0024) from the expected Mendelian distribution. This difference was associated with lower ATP levels, a reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and a significant reduction of sperm motility of the Slc2a8 knockout in comparison to wild-type spermatozoa. In contrast, number and survival rate of spermatozoa were not altered. These data indicate that GLUT8 plays an important role in the energy metabolism of sperm cells

Iron Accumulation with Age, Oxidative Stress and Functional Decline

Identification of biological mediators in sarcopenia is pertinent to the development of targeted interventions to alleviate this condition. Iron is recognized as a potent pro-oxidant and a catalyst for the formation of reactive oxygen species in biological systems. It is well accepted that iron accumulates with senescence in several organs, but little is known about iron accumulation in muscle and how it may affect muscle function. In addition, it is unclear if interventions which reduced age-related loss of muscle quality, such as calorie restriction, impact iron accumulation. We investigated non-heme iron concentration, oxidative stress to nucleic acids in gastrocnemius muscle and key indices of sarcopenia (muscle mass and grip strength) in male Fischer 344 X Brown Norway rats fed ad libitum (AL) or a calorie restricted diet (60% of ad libitum food intake starting at 4 months of age) at 8, 18, 29 and 37 months of age. Total non-heme iron levels in the gastrocnemius muscle of AL rats increased progressively with age. Between 29 and 37 months of age, the non-heme iron concentration increased by approximately 200% in AL-fed rats. Most importantly, the levels of oxidized RNA in gastrocnemius muscle of AL rats were significantly increased as well. The striking age-associated increase in non-heme iron and oxidized RNA levels and decrease in sarcopenia indices were all attenuated in the calorie restriction (CR) rats. These findings strongly suggest that the age-related iron accumulation in muscle contributes to increased oxidative damage and sarcopenia, and that CR effectively attenuates these negative effects

The trans-golgi compartment: A new distinct intracellular Ca2+ store

The Golgi apparatus (GA) is an intracellular organelle that plays a central role in lipid and protein posttranslational modification and sorting. In addition, the GA has been also shown to be involved in Ca2+ signalling, as: (i) it accumulates Ca2+ within its lumen in an ATP-dependent process catalyzed by two enzymes, the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) and the secretory pathway Ca2+ ATPase1 (SPCA1), and (ii) it releases Ca2+ during cell stimulation in response to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor activation. Therefore, on this aspect, the GA appears to behave similarly to the major intracellular Ca2+ store, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). By using a new FRET-based Ca2+ probe, specifically targeted to the trans-compartment of the GA, we demonstrate that the organelle is heterogeneous in terms of Ca2+ handling, the trans-Golgi being insensitive to IP3 and capable of accumulating Ca2+ solely through the activity of SPCA1. The SERCA and the IP3 receptor appear to be restricted to the cis- and intermediate GA compartments. Moreover, selective reduction of Ca2+ concentration within the trans-Golgi, obtained by reducing the level of SPCA1 by RNAi, results in major alterations of protein trafficking within the secretory pathway and induces the collapse of the entire GA morphology