Major sperm protein

MSP (Major sperm protein) domain
Structure of MSP dimer from A. suum. The β-sheets are shown in orange
Identifiers
SymbolMSP_dom
PfamPF00635
InterProIPR000535
PROSITEPS50202
CATH1MSP
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary
Major sperm protein
Identifiers
OrganismC. elegans
Symbolmsp-19
Entrez173981
PDB1MSP
UniProtP53017
Search for
StructuresSwiss-model
DomainsInterPro

Major sperm protein (MSP) is a nematode specific small protein of 126 amino acids with a molecular weight of 14 kDa. It is the key player in the motility machinery of nematodes that propels the crawling movement/motility of nematode sperm. It is the most abundant protein present in nematode sperm, comprising 15% of the total protein and more than 40% of the soluble protein. MSP is exclusively synthesized in spermatocytes of the nematodes. The MSP has two main functions in the reproduction of the helminthes: i) as cytosolic component it is responsible for the crawling movement of the mature sperm (without flagellum), and ii) once released, it acts as hormone on the female germ cells, where it triggers oocyte maturation and stimulates the oviduct wall to contract to bring the oocytes into position for fertilization. MSP has first been identified in Caenorhabditis elegans.