SPAG6

The correlation of anti-sperm antibodies with cases of unexplained infertility implicates a role for these antibodies in blocking fertilization. Improved diagnosis and treatment of immunologic infertility, as well as identification of proteins for targeted contraception, are dependent on the identification and characterization of relevant sperm antigens. The protein expressed by this gene is recognized by anti-sperm antibodies from an infertile man. This protein localizes to the tail of permeabilized human sperm and contains eight contiguous armadillo repeats, a motif known to mediate protein-protein interactions. Studies in mice suggest that this protein is involved in sperm flagellar motility and maintenance of the structural integrity of mature sperm. Several transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.