CABCOCO1, also known as ciliary-associated calcium-binding coiled-coil protein 1, is a protein encoded by the gene 1700040L02Rik. It has calcium-binding activity, with a coiled-coil domain at the C-terminus and a CLAMP motif containing a leucine zipper domain in the middle. It is involved in the control of sperm flagellar movement and is likely associated with pathways related to spermatogenesis [2]. Genetic models, such as mouse models, are valuable for studying its functions.

In gene inactivation studies, inactivation of Cabcoco1 in mice led to malformation of sperm flagella, a phenotype similar to that seen in Ccdc189-deficient mice. Ccdc189 inactivation also caused down-regulation of CABCOCO1 protein expression. Both CCDC189 and CABCOCO1 interact with the radial-spoke-specific protein RSPH1 and intraflagellar transport proteins, indicating their role in sperm flagellum formation [1].

In conclusion, through model-based research, CABCOCO1 has been shown to be essential for sperm flagellum formation and movement. The gene knockout mouse models of Cabcoco1 have contributed to understanding male infertility, a disease area where abnormal sperm flagellum formation, as caused by Cabcoco1 inactivation, is a major contributing factor [1,2].

References:

1. Wang, Mengyue, Kang, Junyan, Shen, Zhiming, Liu, Hongbin, Gao, Fei. 2023. CCDC189 affects sperm flagellum formation by interacting with CABCOCO1. In National science review, 10, nwad181. doi:10.1093/nsr/nwad181. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37601242/

2. Kawashima, Akihiro, Kigoshi, Takumi, Katoh, Yuki, Matsuda, Manabu, Okamura, Naomichi. 2016. CABCOCO1, a novel coiled-coil protein With calcium-binding activity, is localized in the sperm flagellum. In Molecular reproduction and development, 83, 912-926. doi:10.1002/mrd.22639. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26990073/