Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology

Research interests

Reproduction is a fundamental process that is essential to the survival of all living organisms. While the general process of mammalian fertilisation is well-understood, the specific list of molecules involved and their precise mechanisms of action remain incomplete. While the fertilisation process in mammals exhibits certain commonalities, the molecular processes and protein expression patterns at the gamete and tissue levels are species-specific. It is therefore important to characterise as yet unidentified molecules, not only for basic research in reproductive biology, but also for understanding pathological changes at the molecular level. In recent years, the Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology has focused on the study of tetraspanin family proteins, whose specific structure allows the formation of the so-called tetraspanin web, a complex of tetraspanins and other partner molecules that is active in cell membranes.

Tetraspanins are a family of membrane proteins found in a range of cell types, including non-mammalian organisms. They are defined by a specific structural motif. Their defining characteristic is the capacity to interact with other tetraspanins, as well as with other proteins and lipids, to form functional tetraspanin networks that influence a range of cellular processes, including cell morphology, fusion, motility, and signalling. Furthermore, tetraspanins have been demonstrated to play a role in the process of fertilisation in mammals, functioning within complexes that are crucial for successful fertilisation and zygote formation. The Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology is primarily engaged in the investigation of the structural and dynamic characteristics of tetraspanin networks in bovine gametes (oocytes and spermatozoa) and their developmental stages during maturation in the reproductive organs, including the ovaries, testes, and epididymis. Furthermore, we investigate the localisation and distribution of tetraspanins during the processes underlying the ability of ejaculated sperm to pass through the zona pellucida and penetrate the oocyte cytoplasm. This is achieved by stimulating sperm capacitation and the acrosome reaction under in vitro conditions. Additionally, we examine the role of tetraspanins during early embryonic development using in vitro fertilisation. In collaboration with the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology of the Institute of Biotechnology of the CAS in Prague, we have the opportunity to study interspecies differences in the composition and activity of the tetraspanin site in a mouse and a pig model.

People

RNDr. Jana Antalíková, PhD.
Ing. Jana Jankovičová, PhD.
Ing. Katarína Michalková, PhD.
Ing. Petra Sečová, PhD.
Ing. Ľubica Horovská
Timea Hrbeková – bachelor student

Allumni

2023 – Mgr. Vladimíra Kabaňová – Bc. and MSc. thesis
2023 – Mgr. Jana Komárová – Bc. and MSc. thesis
2021 – Mgr. Claudia Feitscherová – Bc. and MSc. thesis
2017 – Mgr. Matúš Linský – Bc. and MSc. thesis

Collaborations

Selected publications

ANTALÍKOVÁ J. ; SEČOVÁ P.; MICHALKOVÁ K; HOROVSKÁ Ľ.; PÁLENÍKOVÁ V.; JANKOVIČOVÁ J.: Expression of αV Integrin and its potential partners in bull reproductive tissues, germ cells and spermatozoa. In International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2022, vol. 209, part A, p. 542-551. & https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.04.001

JANKOVIČOVÁ J.; SEČOVÁ P.; HOROVSKÁ Ľ.; OLEXIKOVÁ L.; DUJÍČKOVÁ L.; MAKAREVICH A.V.; MICHALKOVÁ K.; ANTALÍKOVÁ J.: Distribution of tetraspanins in bovine ovarian tissue and fresh/vitrified oocytes. Histochem Cell Biol. 2023, 159, p. 163-183 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-022-02155-4

JANKOVIČOVÁ J.; SEČOVÁ P.; MICHALKOVÁ K.; ANTALÍKOVÁ J.: Tetraspanins, More than Markers of Extracellular Vesicles in Reproduction. International Journal of Molecular Science. 2020, 21, 7568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21207568

JANKOVIČOVÁ J., NEUEROVÁ Z., SEČOVÁ P., BARTÓKOVÁ M., BUBENÍČKOVÁ F., KOMRSKOVÁ K., POSTLEROVÁ P., ANTALÍKOVÁ J.: Tetraspanins in mammalian reproduction: spermatozoa, oocytes and embryos. Medical Microbiology and Immunology. 2020, 209:407–425, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-020-00676-0

JANKOVICOVA J., FROLIKOVA M., PALENIKOVA V., VALASKOVA E., CERNY J., SECOVA P., BARTOKOVA M., HOROVSKA L., MANASKOVA-POSTLEROVA P., KOMRSKOVA K., ANTALIKOVA J.: Expression and distribution of CD151 as a partner of alpha6 integrin in male germ cells. Scientific Reports. 2020, 10:4374 (4.011- IF2018) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61334-2

ANTALIKOVA J., SECOVA P., HOROVSKA L., KREJCIROVA R., SIMONIK O., JANKOVICOVA J., BARTOKOVA M., TUMOVA L., MANASKOVA-POSTLEROVA P.: Missing Information from the Estrogen Receptor Puzzle: Where Are They Localized in Bull Reproductive Tissues and Spermatozoa? Cells. 2020, 9, 183; (5.656-IF 2018) https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9010183

JANKOVIČOVÁ J., SEČOVÁ P., MAŇÁSKOVÁ-POSTLEROVÁ P., ŠIMONÍK O., FROLÍKOVÁ M., CHMELÍKOVÁ E., HOROVSKÁ Ľ., MICHALKOVÁ K., DVOŘÁKOVÁ-HORTOVÁ K., ANTALÍKOVÁ J.: Detection of CD9 and CD81 tetraspanins in bovine and porcine oocytes and embryos. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2019, vol. 123, p. 931-938. (4.784-IF2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.11.161

FROLÍKOVÁ M., MAŇÁSKOVÁ-POSTLEROVÁ P., ČERNÝ J., JANKOVIČOVÁ J., ŠIMONÍK O., POHLOVÁ A., SEČOVÁ P., ANTALÍKOVÁ J., DVOŘÁKOVÁ-HORTOVÁ K.: CD9 and CD81 Interactions and Their Structural Modelling in Sperm Prior to Fertilization. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2018, vol. 19, iss. 4, art. no. 1236. (3.687 – IF2017), https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19041236

JANKOVIČOVÁ J., MICHALKOVÁ K., SEČOVÁ P., HOROVSKÁ Ľ., MAŇÁSKOVÁ-POSTLEROVÁ P., ANTALÍKOVÁ J.: Evaluation of protein phosphorylation in bull sperm during their maturation in the epididymis. Cell and Tissue Research, 2018, vol. 371, no. 2, p. 365-373. (3.043 – IF 2017), https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-017-2705-x

JANKOVIČOVÁ J., FROLIKOVÁ M., ŠEBKOVÁ N., SIMON M., CUPPEROVÁ P., LIPCSEYOVÁ D., MICHALKOVÁ K., HOROVSKÁ Ľ., SEDLÁČEK R., STOPKA P., ANTALÍKOVÁ J., DVOŘÁKOVÁ-HORTOVÁ K.: Characterization of tetraspanin protein CD81 in mouse spermatozoa and bovine gametes. Reproduction, 2016, vol. 152, no. 6, p. 785-793. (3.184 – IF2015). (2016 – Current Contents). ISSN 1470-1626, https://doi.org/10.1530/REP-16-0304

ANTALÍKOVÁ J., JANKOVIČOVÁ J, SIMON M., CUPPEROVÁ P., MICHALKOVÁ K., HOROVSKÁ Ľ.: Localization of CD9 molecule on bull spermatozoa; itsinvolvement in the sperm – egg interaction. Reproduction in domestic animals. 2015, 50, 423–430; (1,177-IF2013) ISSN 0936–6768, https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.12508

JANKOVIČOVÁ J., SIMON M., ANTALÍKOVÁ J., CUPPEROVÁ P., MICHALKOVÁ K.: Role of tetraspanin CD9 molecule in fertilization of mammals. Physiological Research. 2015, 64: 279-293, (1,487-IF2013), doi: 10.33549/physiolres.932876.

CUPPEROVÁ P., SIMON M., ANTALÍKOVÁ J., MICHALKOVÁ K., HOROVSKÁ Ľ., HLUCHÝ S.: Distribution of tetraspanin family protein CD9 in bull reproductive system
Czech Journal of Animal Science, 59, 2014 (3): 134–139 (0.871 – IF2013). (2014 – Current Contents). ISSN 1212-1819, https://doi.org/10.17221/7293-CJAS

MICHALKOVÁ K., SIMON M., ANTALÍKOVÁ J., KLÍMA J., HOROVSKÁ Ľ., JANKOVIČOVÁ J., HLUCHÝ S.: Identification of bovine CD52-like molecule by monoclonal antibody IVA-543 : distribution of CD52- like molecule in the bull genital tract. Theriogenology. 2010, vol. 74, no. 6, p. 1066-1074. (2.073 – IF2009). (2010 – Current Contents). ISSN 0093-691X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.05.003