The combined Buck and Levin laboratory studies the second messenger molecule cAMP, which modulates cellular functions in organisms from bacteria to man. cAMP is produced by adenylyl cyclases, and mammals possess two distinct classes of adenylyl cyclase, the hormone-responsive, transmembrane adenylyl cyclases (tmAC) and the bicarbonate-regulated Soluble Adenylyl Cyclase (sAC). Drs. Buck and Levin purified and cloned sAC, and the combined “LevBuck” laboratory studies sAC.
Distinct from transmembrane adenylyl cyclases, sAC is regulated by bicarbonate anions, and because bicarbonate exists inside cells in a nearly instantaneous equilibrium with carbon dioxide and pH, sAC and its evolutionarily related orthologs throughout the kingdoms of life serve as Nature’s carbon dioxide/bicarbonate/pH sensors.
In mammals, sAC is the “on” switch in sperm. sAC is required for sperm to swim and mature, and it is essential for male fertility. In the LevBuck laboratory, we study how sAC generated cAMP controls sperm function, and we are attempting to develop inhibitors of sAC into new forms of contraceptives for men and women.
“We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.”
- Carl Sagan