Cooperation-based sperm clusters mediate sperm oviduct entry and fertilization

Qu, Yongcun; Chen, Qi; Guo, Shanshan; Ma, Chiyuan; Lu, Yonggang; Shi, Junchao; Liu, Shichao; Zhou, Tong; Noda, Taichi; Qian, Jingjing; Zhang, Liwen; Zhu, Xili; Lei, Xiaohua; Cao, Yuqi; Li, Wei; Plachta, Nicolas; Matzuk, Martin M.; Ikawa, Masahito; Duan, Enkui; Zhang, Ying; Wang, Hongmei

doi:10.1007/s13238-021-00825-y

Cited by 20 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The authors in [19] found evidence that clustering of sperm is functionally important for fertilization potential and our model demonstrates that there is certainly an advantage to clustering or swimming together in terms of velocity and efficiency. With respect to sperm trains specifically, when we time-average over entire simulations, we observe substantial increases in velocities for sperm trains when compared to individuals.…”

mentioning

confidence: 50%

“…Figure 1a shows one example of a chiral ribbon trajectory observed in human sperm. Species as diverse as deer mouse, cattle, fly, echidna and opossum have sperm that can collectively swim together [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Figure 1b shows an example of such behavior in the deer mouse, where apical hooks on sperm heads enable sperm to attach to a neighbor's flagellum.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Flagellar Cooperativity and Collective Motion in Sperm

Simons

Rosenberger

2021

Fluids

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sperm have thin structures known as flagella whose motion must be regulated in order to reach the egg for fertilization. Large numbers of sperm are typically needed in this process and some species have sperm that exhibit collective or aggregate motion when swimming in groups. The purpose of this study is to model planar motion of flagella in groups to explore how collective motion may arise in three-dimensional fluid environments. We use the method of regularized Stokeslets and a three-dimensional preferred curvature model to simulate groups of undulating flagella, where flagellar waveforms are modulated via hydrodynamic coupling with other flagella and surfaces. We find that collective motion of free-swimming flagella is an unstable phenomenon in long-term simulations unless there is an external mechanism to keep flagella near each other. However, there is evidence that collective swimming can result in significant gains in velocity and efficiency. With the addition of an ability for sperm to attach and swim together as a group, velocities and efficiencies can be increased even further, which may indicate why some species have evolved mechanisms that enable collective swimming and cooperative behavior in sperm.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 50%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flagellar Cooperativity and Collective Motion in Sperm

Simons

Rosenberger

2021

Fluids

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…How such a slow flagellar beat is able to propel spermatozoa forward is another mystery. Qu et al [ 17 ] saw numerous mouse spermatozoa with their heads abutted against the epithelium of the UTJ. They speculated that spermatozoa clustering together in such an orientation and beating their tails synchronously enable the spermatozoa to move into the UTJ.…”

Section: Transport Of Rodent Spermatozoa Through the Vagina Uterus An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mysteries and unsolved problems of mammalian fertilization and related topics

Yanagimachi

2022

Biology of Reproduction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mammalian fertilization is a fascinating process that leads to the formation of a new individual. Eggs and sperm are complex cells that must meet at the appropriate time and position within the female reproductive tract for successful fertilization. I have been studying various aspects of mammalian fertilization over 60 years. In this review, I discuss many different aspects of mammalian fertilization, some of my laboratory’s contribution to the field, and discuss enigmas and mysteries that remain to be solved.

show abstract

“…Surprisingly, while investigating the functions of spermspecific proteins in gene knockout (KO) mouse strains, it was found that a certain strain of KO sperm with normal morphology and motility were unable to pass through the UTJ [117]. Subsequently, the deletion of genes for a number of sperm-specific proteins resulted in the same infertile male phenotype [118]. The proteins produced by these genes were either plasma membrane proteins or were involved in bringing proteins to the plasma membrane.…”

Section: Apparent Co-evolution Of Sperm and Female Reproductive Tract Physical Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This seemed to indicate that sperm passage through the UTJ might involve some sort of molecular interaction between one or more sperm proteins and receptors lining the oviduct. However, recently, evidence has arisen to indicate that the proteins play a role in aggregating sperm in the uterus, and it has been proposed that the aggregated sperm, which are aligned in the same direction, are able to push their way into the UTJ, or push open the UTJ, which is something that single sperm seem unable to do [118]. This interesting discovery requires further investigation as a previously unknown function of sperm aggregation.…”

Section: Apparent Co-evolution Of Sperm and Female Reproductive Tract Physical Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-Adaptation of Physical Attributes of the Mammalian Female Reproductive Tract and Sperm to Facilitate Fertilization

Tung

Suárez

2021

Cells

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The functions of the female reproductive tract not only encompass sperm migration, storage, and fertilization, but also support the transport and development of the fertilized egg through to the birth of offspring. Further, because the tract is open to the external environment, it must also provide protection against invasive pathogens. In biophysics, sperm are considered “pusher microswimmers”, because they are propelled by pushing fluid behind them. This type of swimming by motile microorganisms promotes the tendency to swim along walls and upstream in gentle fluid flows. Thus, the architecture of the walls of the female tract, and the gentle flows created by cilia, can guide sperm migration. The viscoelasticity of the fluids in the tract, such as mucus secretions, also promotes the cooperative swimming of sperm that can improve fertilization success; at the same time, the mucus can also impede the invasion of pathogens. This review is focused on how the mammalian female reproductive tract and sperm interact physically to facilitate the movement of sperm to the site of fertilization. Knowledge of female/sperm interactions can not only explain how the female tract can physically guide sperm to the fertilization site, but can also be applied for the improvement of in vitro fertilization devices.

show abstract

Cooperation-based sperm clusters mediate sperm oviduct entry and fertilization

Abstract: contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cited by 20 publications

References 15 publications

Flagellar Cooperativity and Collective Motion in Sperm

Flagellar Cooperativity and Collective Motion in Sperm

Mysteries and unsolved problems of mammalian fertilization and related topics

Co-Adaptation of Physical Attributes of the Mammalian Female Reproductive Tract and Sperm to Facilitate Fertilization

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About