Harnessing the biology of the oviduct for the benefit of artificial insemination

Holt, W. V.; Elliott, R. M.; Fazeli, Alireza; Šoštarić, Edita; Georgiou, A. S.; Satake, Nana; Prathalingam, N.; Watson, P. F.

doi:10.1530/biosciprocs.17.0018

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sperm–epithelium interaction mechanisms have previously been proposed as important for lengthening the viability of spermatozoa, regulating sperm maturation and influencing fertility in mammals (Holt et al, 2006; Holt & Fazeli, 2010; Miller, 2010). Sperm plasma membrane remodeling and the acquisition of forward motility are the most important early maturation events in the caput and corpus epididymides (Jones, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction of Epididymal Epithelia and their Secretions with Spermatozoa Supports Functional and Morphological Changes During Long-Term Storage in the Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Post-testicular maturation of spermatozoa is crucial for attaining the morphological and functional capabilities needed for successful fertilization. Epididymal epithelia offer a favorable environment for spermatozoa that are stored long term in the turtle epididymis; however, sperm–epithelial interactions during storage, which are enormously important for sperm functional and morphological maturation, are still largely unknown in turtles. The present study examined the epididymis during the sperm-storage period (November–April) in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis). Light and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine the cellular features of each epididymal segment (caput, corpus, and cauda) and their epithelial interactions with the spermatozoa. Spermatozoa were mainly located in the lumena of caput, corpus, and cauda epididymides. Numerous spermatozoa were bound to apical surfaces of the epithelia, and several were even embedded in the epithelial cytoplasm of the caput and corpus epididymides. No embedded spermatozoa were found in the cauda epididymis. In all epididymal segments, principal and clear cells showed the synthetic activity, evidenced by a well-developed endoplasmic reticulum network and high and low electron-dense secretory materials, respectively. Principal and clear cells in the caput and corpus segments showed embedded spermatozoa in electron-dense secretions and in the lipid droplets within the cytoplasm. No lysosomes were observed around the embedded spermatozoa. The lumena of the caput and corpus segments showed few apocrine and low electron density secretions. In the lumen of the cauda epididymidis, different secretions, such as holocrine with low and high electron density and their fragmentation, apocrine, and dictyosome, were found and are summarized. Altogether, sperm physical interactions with secretions either in the cytoplasm of epithelium or in the lumen may support the viability, morphological maintenance, and transfer of various proteins involved in long-term sperm storage in the turtle. This interaction could help us to understand the mechanisms of long-term sperm storage and provide more insights into the reproductive strategies of turtle sperm preservation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction of Epididymal Epithelia and their Secretions with Spermatozoa Supports Functional and Morphological Changes During Long-Term Storage in the Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The duration of sperm storage in mammals is less impressive than in birds and reptiles, but, with the exception of bats, which can store spermatozoa in the female reproductive tract for several months (60,61), spermatozoa can survive for 24-36 h at body temperature within the oviductal sperm reservoir (62,63). This observation, which is not species specific, prompted the suggestion that extracts of oviductal epithelial cells might prolong the survival of spermatozoa in vitro (64), thus leading to improved diluents for sperm preservation. Investigation of this hypothesis led to the realization that proteins, notably a heat shock protein derived from oviductal epithelial cells (65)(66)(67)(68), could indeed promote the survival of mammalian spermatozoa in vitro.…”

Section: Inbreeding Causes Disease Infertility or Behavioral Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunities and Limitations for Reproductive Science in Species Conservation

Holt

Comizzoli

2022

Annu. Rev. Anim. Biosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reproductive science in the context of conservation biology is often understood solely in terms of breeding threatened species. Although technologies developed primarily for agriculture or biomedicine have a potentially important role in species conservation, their effectiveness is limited if we regard the main objective of animal conservation as helping to support populations rather than to breed a small number of individuals. The global threats facing wild species include the consequences of climate change, population growth, urbanization, atmospheric and water pollution, and the release of chemicals into the environment, to cite but a few. Reproductive sciences provide important and often unexpected windows into many of these consequences, and our aim here is both to demonstrate the breadth of reproductive science and the importance of basic knowledge and to suggest where some of the insights might be useful in mitigating the problems. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, Volume 10 is February 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

show abstract

“…This technique employs mature oocytes and fresh, cryopreserved, and/or low-quality stallion semen selected by sperm motility and morphology [ 19 ]. On the contrary, high fertilization rates in equines are obtained via artificial insemination (AI) [ 14 , 20 ], very likely due to the promoting effects of the oviductal environment upon sperm capacitation [ 21 ]. Therefore, the use of an in vitro system that mimics the in vivo conditions should significantly improve spermatozoa selection, fertilization and embryonic development employing ARTs protocols [ 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of In Vitro Interactions of Oviduct Epithelial Cells with Frozen–Thawed Stallion Spermatozoa on Their Motility, Viability and Capacitation Status

Gimeno

Bariani

Laiz-Quiroga

et al. 2021

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cryopreservation by negatively affecting sperm quality decreases the efficiency of assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs). Thus, we first evaluated sperm motility at different conditions for the manipulation of equine cryopreserved spermatozoa. Higher motility was observed when spermatozoa were incubated for 30 min at 30 × 106/mL compared to lower concentrations (p < 0.05) and when a short centrifugation at 200× g was performed (p < 0.05). Moreover, because sperm suitable for oocyte fertilization is released from oviduct epithelial cells (OECs), in response to the capacitation process, we established an in vitro OEC culture model to select a sperm population with potential fertilizing capacity in this species. We demonstrated E-cadherin and cytokeratin expression in cultures of OECs obtained. When sperm–OEC cocultures were performed, the attached spermatozoa were motile and presented an intact acrosome, suggesting a selection by the oviductal model. When co-cultures were incubated in capacitating conditions a greater number of alive (p < 0.05), capacitated (p < 0.05), with progressive motility (p < 0.05) and with the intact acrosome sperm population was observed (p < 0.05) suggesting that the sperm population released from OECs in vitro presents potential fertilizing capacity. Improvements in handling and selection of cryopreserved sperm would improve efficiencies in ARTs allowing the use of a population of higher-quality sperm.

show abstract

Harnessing the biology of the oviduct for the benefit of artificial insemination

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Interaction of Epididymal Epithelia and their Secretions with Spermatozoa Supports Functional and Morphological Changes During Long-Term Storage in the Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

Interaction of Epididymal Epithelia and their Secretions with Spermatozoa Supports Functional and Morphological Changes During Long-Term Storage in the Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

Opportunities and Limitations for Reproductive Science in Species Conservation

Effects of In Vitro Interactions of Oviduct Epithelial Cells with Frozen–Thawed Stallion Spermatozoa on Their Motility, Viability and Capacitation Status

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About