+
Open data
-
Basic information
| Entry | Database: PDB / ID: 9ubx | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | The atomic coordinates of the mouse CatSper trimer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Components |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Keywords | PROTEIN TRANSPORT / sperm / hyperactivation / calcium channel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Function / homology | Function and homology informationSperm Motility And Taxes / CatSper complex / fusion of sperm to egg plasma membrane involved in single fertilization / sperm principal piece / regulation of cilium beat frequency involved in ciliary motility / calcium ion sensor activity / male meiotic nuclear division / flagellated sperm motility / organic anion transport / : ...Sperm Motility And Taxes / CatSper complex / fusion of sperm to egg plasma membrane involved in single fertilization / sperm principal piece / regulation of cilium beat frequency involved in ciliary motility / calcium ion sensor activity / male meiotic nuclear division / flagellated sperm motility / organic anion transport / : / calcium-activated cation channel activity / fertilization / motile cilium / sodium ion transport / sperm capacitation / regulation of calcium ion transport / monoatomic ion channel complex / sperm flagellum / voltage-gated calcium channel activity / acrosomal vesicle / establishment of localization in cell / calcium ion transport / spermatogenesis / cell differentiation / calmodulin binding / cilium / calcium ion binding / endoplasmic reticulum / plasma membrane / cytoplasm Similarity search - Function | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biological species | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Method | ELECTRON MICROSCOPY / single particle reconstruction / cryo EM / Resolution: 6.8 Å | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Authors | Xu, Q. / Lin, S. / Zhao, Q. / Yan, Z. / Wu, J. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Funding support | China, 1items
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Citation | Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A / Year: 2026Title: Molecular basis of the higher-order assembly of CatSper. Authors: Qikui Xu / Shiyi Lin / Qingqing Zhao / Yanfei Ru / Hang Kang / Xuhui Zeng / Min Jiang / Zhen Yan / Jianping Wu / ![]() Abstract: CatSper serves as the primary Ca entry pathway in the principal piece of sperm flagellum and is crucial for sperm motility and fertility. Sperm lacking functional CatSper channels fail to undergo ...CatSper serves as the primary Ca entry pathway in the principal piece of sperm flagellum and is crucial for sperm motility and fertility. Sperm lacking functional CatSper channels fail to undergo hyperactivation during fertilization, leading to complete male infertility. Along the longitudinal axis of the sperm flagellum, staggered CatSper complexes align in a hand-in-hand arrangement, forming a distinctive quadrilinear zigzag arrays known as CatSper nanodomains. However, the molecular details of how CatSper oligomerizes to form such higher-order assembly remain unclear. In this study, we present the cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of native CatSper dimer (~1.5 MDa) and trimer (~2.3 MDa) megacomplexes, which represent the fundamental units of the zigzag array. We reveal the overall configuration of the zigzag assembly by characterizing the two distinct dimer interfaces that mediate CatSper oligomerization. Specifically, we elucidate the interaction details of two extracellular interfaces formed by CATSPERβ and CATSPERγ at the two dimer interfaces, respectively, and find that CATSPERη, a recently identified component of CatSper, constitutes the transmembrane interface within one of these dimer interfaces. Functional studies in mice demonstrate that CATSPERη is essential for the formation of functional CatSper on the sperm flagellum, and CATSPERη-deficient sperm fail to hyperactivate during fertilization, resulting in male infertility both in vivo and in vitro. Our data provide insights into the higher-order assembly of CatSper at the molecular level, offering clues for the development of male contraceptives. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History |
|
-
Structure visualization
| Structure viewer | Molecule: Molmil Jmol/JSmol |
|---|
-
Downloads & links
-
Download
| PDBx/mmCIF format | 9ubx.cif.gz | 3.1 MB | Display | PDBx/mmCIF format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDB format | pdb9ubx.ent.gz | Display | PDB format | |
| PDBx/mmJSON format | 9ubx.json.gz | Tree view | PDBx/mmJSON format | |
| Others | Other downloads |
-Validation report
| Arichive directory | https://data.pdbj.org/pub/pdb/validation_reports/ub/9ubx ftp://data.pdbj.org/pub/pdb/validation_reports/ub/9ubx | HTTPS FTP |
|---|
-Related structure data
| Related structure data | ![]() 64028MC ![]() 9ubwC M: map data used to model this data C: citing same article ( |
|---|---|
| Similar structure data | Similarity search - Function & homology F&H Search |
-
Links
-
Assembly
| Deposited unit | ![]()
|
|---|---|
| 1 |
|
-
Components
-Cation channel sperm-associated protein ... , 4 types, 12 molecules AnaBobCpcDqd
| #1: Protein | Mass: 29080.652 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #2: Protein | Mass: 33115.477 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #3: Protein | Mass: 32308.949 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #4: Protein | Mass: 28880.430 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() |
|---|
-Cation channel sperm-associated auxiliary subunit ... , 7 types, 21 molecules EreFfsGtgHuhJwjKxkMzm
| #5: Protein | Mass: 121580.594 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #6: Protein | Mass: 119864.367 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #7: Protein | Mass: 82834.281 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #8: Protein | Mass: 107004.016 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #10: Protein | Mass: 19898.578 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #11: Protein | Mass: 17504.592 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #13: Protein | Mass: 13350.882 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() |
|---|
-Protein , 2 types, 6 molecules IiQLyl
| #9: Protein | Mass: 20942.268 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() #12: Protein | Mass: 68349.680 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 / Mutation: A224G Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source Source: (gene. exp.) ![]() ![]() |
|---|
-Protein/peptide / Non-polymers , 2 types, 6 molecules NPO

| #14: Protein/peptide | Mass: 2400.951 Da / Num. of mol.: 3 / Source method: isolated from a natural source / Source: (natural) ![]() #21: Chemical | |
|---|
-Sugars , 6 types, 57 molecules 
| #15: Polysaccharide | Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source #16: Polysaccharide | beta-D-mannopyranose-(1-4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose-(1-4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta- ...beta-D-mannopyranose-(1-4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose-(1-4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source #17: Polysaccharide | 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose-(1-4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source #18: Polysaccharide | Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source #19: Polysaccharide | Source method: isolated from a genetically manipulated source #20: Sugar | ChemComp-NAG / |
|---|
-Details
| Has ligand of interest | Y |
|---|---|
| Has protein modification | Y |
-Experimental details
-Experiment
| Experiment | Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY |
|---|---|
| EM experiment | Aggregation state: PARTICLE / 3D reconstruction method: single particle reconstruction |
-
Sample preparation
| Component | Name: Homotrimer of the mouse CatSper / Type: COMPLEX / Entity ID: #1-#14 / Source: MULTIPLE SOURCES |
|---|---|
| Source (natural) | Organism: ![]() |
| Buffer solution | pH: 7.4 |
| Specimen | Embedding applied: NO / Shadowing applied: NO / Staining applied: NO / Vitrification applied: YES |
| Vitrification | Cryogen name: ETHANE |
-
Electron microscopy imaging
| Experimental equipment | ![]() Model: Titan Krios / Image courtesy: FEI Company |
|---|---|
| Microscopy | Model: TFS KRIOS |
| Electron gun | Electron source: FIELD EMISSION GUN / Accelerating voltage: 300 kV / Illumination mode: FLOOD BEAM |
| Electron lens | Mode: BRIGHT FIELD / Nominal defocus max: 2500 nm / Nominal defocus min: 1500 nm |
| Image recording | Electron dose: 50 e/Å2 / Film or detector model: GATAN K3 (6k x 4k) |
-
Processing
| EM software |
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTF correction | Type: PHASE FLIPPING AND AMPLITUDE CORRECTION | |||||||||
| 3D reconstruction | Resolution: 6.8 Å / Resolution method: FSC 0.143 CUT-OFF / Num. of particles: 69708 / Symmetry type: POINT |
Movie
Controller
About Yorodumi






China, 1items
Citation















PDBj












FIELD EMISSION GUN