Major Sperm Protein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Major Sperm Protein, commonly abbrieviated to MSP, is the most abundant protein in nematode sperm, making up about 15% of the total protein in the sperm cell. It is responsible for the cell's motility.
The MSP molecules are part of the cell cytoskeleton. They are built up into a set of long chains organised into bundles at the front of the cell, and are disassembled at the back. This pushes the cell forward in a process called treadmilling.
Although there are similar amino acid sequences in other organisms, MSP appears to be unique to the sperm of nematodes.
[edit] References
 |
This cell biology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Microfilaments: Actins - Myosins - Actin-binding proteins
Intermediate filaments: type 1 and 2 Cytokeratin (type I, type II)
type 3 Desmin, GFAP, Peripherin, Vimentin
type 4 Internexin, Nestin, Neurofilament
type 5 Lamin (A, B)
Microtubules: Dyneins - Kinesins - MAPs (Tau protein) - Tubulins
Prokaryotic cytoskeleton: Crescentin - FtsZ - MreB
Other: Major Sperm Proteins
