Notulae seminologicae. 2. The ‘short tail’ and ‘stump’ defect in human spermatozoa

Baccetti, Baccio; Burrini, A. G.; Capitani, Serena; Collodel, Giulia; Moretti, Elena; Piomboni, Paola; Renieri, Tommaso

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0272.1993.tb02736.x

Cited by 46 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…This, together with the reported family incidence and its association with dynein deficiency in respiratory cilia, indicates that DFS is a genetic condition of possible autosomic recessive inheritance (Baccetti et al 1975(Baccetti et al , 1993(Baccetti et al , 2001Alexandre et al 1978;Bisson et al 1979;Chemes et al 1998;Moretti and Collodel 2006). Unquestionable evidence for the involvement of specific genes in the pathogenesis of DFS is still not available and whether DFS is monogenic or polygenic remains unknown.…”

Section: Dysplasia Of the Fibrous Sheathmentioning

confidence: 83%

The making of abnormal spermatozoa: cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pathological spermiogenesis

Chemes

Rawe

2010

Cell Tissue Res

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Fertilization in mammals occurs via a series of well-defined events in the secluded environment of the female reproductive tract. The mode of selection of the fertilizing spermatozoon nevertheless remains unknown. As has become evident during in vitro fertilization by sperm microinjection into the oocyte, abnormal spermatozoa can successfully fertilize oocytes. Under these extreme conditions, post-fertilization events, early embryonic development and implantation are significantly compromised indicating that the contribution of spermatozoa extends beyond sperm penetration. Microscopic identification of normal spermatozoa is a well-standardized procedure but insights into the mechanisms that lead to aberrant sperm differentiation and into the subcellular nature of sperm abnormalities have only recently begun to be obtained. The spermatozoon is the result of a complex development in which spermatid organelles give rise to various structural components with characteristic functions. Similar to other differentiated cells, the spermatozoon has a specific pathology that is most clearly identified by ultrastructural evaluation coupled with immunocytochemistry and molecular techniques. This multidisciplinary approach allows the precise characterization of sperm abnormalities, including structural, molecular and functional aspects. We summarize here studies of the physiopathology of spermiogenesis in two abnormal sperm phenotypes of infertile men: dysplasia of the fibrous sheath and acephalic spermatozoa/abnormal head-tail attachment. The characterization of the abnormalities of the tail cytoskeleton and centrioles has uncovered aspects of the subcellular basis of pathological spermiogenesis, has suggested experimental approaches to explore the nature of these anomalies and has opened the way for genetic studies that will ultimately lead to the design of the therapeutic tools of the future.

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Section: Dysplasia Of the Fibrous Sheathmentioning

confidence: 83%

The making of abnormal spermatozoa: cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pathological spermiogenesis

Chemes

Rawe

2010

Cell Tissue Res

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“…Vigorous sperm motility is known to facilitate fertilization by enabling the sperm to penetrate the cumulus cell, corona radiate, and finally the zona pellucida [Liu et al 1991]. Reduced motility is observed in infertile men; often associated with increased mitochondrial abnormalities [Folger et al 1993;Kao et al 1998] and structural deformities in the flagella [Baccetti et al 1993;Chemes et al 1998]. The aetiology of impaired motility is related to an increase in oxidative factors in the seminal plasma [Urata et al 2001;Kao et al 2008], increased age [Kidd et al 2001], and electromagnetic radiation [Yan et al 2007].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm DNA damage or progressive motility: which one is the better predictor of fertilizationin vitro?

Lee

Lewis

2011

Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine

104

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Sperm progressive motility has been reported to be one of the key factors influencing in vitro fertilization rates. However, recent studies have shown that sperm DNA fragmentation is a more robust predictor of assisted reproductive outcomes including reduced fertilization rates, embryo quality, and pregnancy rates. This study aimed to compare the usefulness of sperm progressive motility and DNA damage as predictive tools of in vitro fertilization rates. Here, 136 couples provided 1,767 eggs with an overall fertilization rate of 64.2%. The fertilization rate in vitro correlated with both sperm progressive motility (r 2 = 0.236; P = 0.002) and DNA fragmentation (r 2 = −0.318; P < 0.001). The relative risk of a poor fertilization rate was 9.5 times higher in sperm of men with high DNA fragmentation (>40%) compared with 2.6 times in sperm with poor motility (<40%). Further, sperm DNA fragmentation gave a higher specificity (93.3%) in predicting the fertilization rate than progressive motility (77.8%). Finally, the odds ratio to determine fertilization rate (>70%) was 4.81 (1.89-12.65) using progressive motility compared with 24.18 (5.21-154.51) using DNA fragmentation. This study shows that fertilization rates are directly dependent upon both sperm progressive motility and DNA fragmentation, but sperm DNA fragmentation is a much stronger test.

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“…3C) is also common in this condition. 1, 20,42,43,48 This feature may be present in as many as half of all cases. 24 Although there is no ciliary equivalent of either the sperm fibrous sheath or the mitochondrial sheath, a proportion of the patients with DFS exhibit long-term respiratory symptoms (Table 1).…”

Section: Dysplasia Of the Fibrous Sheathmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…41,42 At the light microscope level, the sperm usually appear short and thickened; an appearance that has led to the terminology of 'stump tail' and 'short tail'. 42,43 Dysplasia of the fibrous sheath is a heterogeneous condition in which defects of the fibrous sheath are associated with a number of other features (Table 1). Absence or disruption of the mitochondrial sheath is a common feature (Fig.…”

Section: Dysplasia Of the Fibrous Sheathmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electron microscopy in the investigation of asthenozoospermia

Mobberley

2010

British Journal of Biomedical Science

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Asthenozoospermia, defined as low sperm motility, is a significant cause of subfertility in men. Its origins are diverse and in some instances cannot be ascertained. However, severely reduced motility can often be associated with abnormalities in the structure of the sperm tails, which can only be detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In this respect, TEM is an important adjunct to the traditional methods of semen analysis. This review examines the development of the current state of knowledge of sperm tail abnormalities. These may be genetic in origin, or they may be acquired as a result of extrinsic factors. At present, consistent molecular markers are not available to characterise many of the genetic defects. However, TEM can distinguish specific defects of genetic origin and the non-specific structural anomalies that are typical of an acquired condition. It can also differentiate sperm structural anomalies from necrospermia, or sperm death, which is another significant cause of asthenozoospermia. In this modern era of assisted reproduction, it is possible in some instances to circumvent the problems of sperm immotility and to achieve fertilisation and pregnancy using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). However, because of the possible genetic origin of asthenozoospermia, many scientists working in the field of infertility believe that it is of the utmost importance to investigate the causes of asthenozoospermia. This review considers the continuing relevance of TEM to the evaluation of sperm tail abnormalities in the context of current reproductive techniques.

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Notulae seminologicae. 2. The ‘short tail’ and ‘stump’ defect in human spermatozoa

Cited by 46 publications

References 6 publications

The making of abnormal spermatozoa: cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pathological spermiogenesis

The making of abnormal spermatozoa: cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pathological spermiogenesis

Sperm DNA damage or progressive motility: which one is the better predictor of fertilizationin vitro?

Electron microscopy in the investigation of asthenozoospermia

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