Sperm cells are highly specialized for their function in reproduction and have a unique structure among the human cell types. Similarly, the repertoire of proteins that are present in sperm comprise many cell-type specific components. Researchers affiliated with the Human Protein Atlas have started to map proteins in human sperm using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy to complement and further build on the comprehensive studies of the sperm proteome that so far mainly have been performed using mass spectrometry. This new approach gives a detailed view of the presence and subcellular localization of proteins in sperm, with single-cell resolution...Read more

Previously, it was believed that the presence of an oncogenic mutation within a cell was sufficient to drive tumour development. However, it is now understood that tissues may contain cells harbouring oncogenic mutations, but that these cells maintain a normal phenotype until an initiating factor promotes oncogenic transformation (Acha-Sagredo et al, 2021). Changes in the cellular milieu and tissue architecture, such as inflammation or parenchymal density, are thought to alter the behaviour of these cells, affecting the likelihood of oncogenic transformation (Ling et al, 2020; Singh et al, 2019). Nonetheless, the precise mechanisms that underlie cancer promotion, and their association with factors such as smoking or obesity, are not fully understood...Read more

On May 13th the Human Cell Atlas will host a webinar focusing on the reproduction network in which HPA researcher Cecilia Lindskog will give a talk titled "A high-resolution spatio-temporal protein atlas of the human reproductive system"...Read more