Scientists at Westlake University in Hangzhou publish an article on the Nature website on July 5. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Scientists at the School of Life Sciences, Westlake University published a manuscript on the Nature website on July 5, shedding light on the structure of a mammalian sperm cation channel complex.

The cation channel of sperm (CatSper) is essential for sperm motility and fertility. Research on its structure and functions are instrumental to male infertility treatment.

However, the structure of the CatSper complex is so complicated that the world hasn't seen it thoroughly over the past 20 years.

By utilizing a cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a technique performed on cryogenically cooled samples and embedded in an environment of vitreous water, the article reports that the structure of the CatSper complex can be isolated from mouse sperms.

Several previously uncharacterized components were revealed in the cryo-EM map. The article names this channel-transporter ultracomplex the CatSpermasome.

The assembly and organization details of the CatSpermasome presented here lay the foundation for the development of CatSpermasome-related male infertility treatment and non-hormonal contraceptives.

The article is a breakthrough that can accelerate people's research on CatSper's functions, said Shi Yigong, famed biologist and president of Westlake University.

The article's corresponding author is Jianping Wu, who worked as a postdoc at Princeton University and joined Westlake University as an assistant professor in 2019.