Characterization and subcellular localization of Tektin 3 in rat spermatozoa.

Mammalian sperm flagella have filament-forming Tektin proteins (Tektin 1-5) reported to be involved in the stability and structural complexity of flagella. Male mice null for Tektin3 produce spermatozoa with reduced forward progression and increased flagellar structural bending defects. The subcellular localization of Tektin3 (TEKT3) in spermatozoa, however, has not been clarified at the ultrastructural level.