Odorant receptors and olfactory-like signaling mechanisms in mammalian sperm

Spehr, Marc; Schwane, Katlen; Riffell, Jeffrey A.; Zimmer, Richard K.; Hatt, Hanns

doi:10.1016/j.mce.2005.12.035

Cited by 97 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…In the case of the more recently found system of mammalian sperm chemotaxis, the situation is different. There only a small fraction of the cells [2-12% in humans , Spehr et al, 2006] are chemotactically responsive (Eisenbach and Giojalas, 2006). This fractional response poses a technical difficulty: how can one measure the small fraction of reacting spermatozoa in the presence of ~10-50 fold larger number of normally swimming, yet nonresponsive, spermatozoa?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of chemotaxis when the fraction of responsive cells is small - application to mammalian sperm guidance

Gakamsky¹,

Schechtman²,

Caplan³

et al. 2008

Int. J. Dev. Biol.

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The detection of chemotaxis-related changes in the swimming behavior of mammalian spermatozoa in a spatial chemoattractant gradient has hitherto been an intractable problem. The difficulty is that the fraction of responsive cells in the sperm population is very small and that the large majority of the cells, though non-responsive, are motile too. Assessment of the chemotactic effects in a spatial gradient is also very sensitive to the quality of sperm tracking. To overcome these difficulties we propose a new approach, based on the analysis of the distribution of instantaneous directionality angles made by spermatozoa in a spatial gradient versus a nogradient control. Although the use of this parameter does not allow identification of individual responding cells, it is a reliable measure of directionality, independent of errors in cell tracking caused by cell collisions, track crossings, and track splitting. The analysis identifies bias in the swimming direction of a population relative to the gradient direction. It involves statistical χ 2 tests of the very large sample of measured angles, where the critical χ 2 values are adjusted to the sample size by the bootstrapping procedure. The combination of the newly measured parameter and the special analysis provides a highly sensitive method for the detection of a chemotactic response, even a very small one.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of chemotaxis when the fraction of responsive cells is small - application to mammalian sperm guidance

Gakamsky¹,

Schechtman²,

Caplan³

et al. 2008

Int. J. Dev. Biol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, several studies have suggested the existence of signaling pathways in insect sperm, including proteomics analyses in Aedes aegypti (18) and Drosophila melanogaster (19), although ORs were not identified in those studies. Importantly, OR expression in male germ cells has been reported for numerous mammalian species (20)(21)(22) and evidence for functional expression of ORs in human and mouse sperm have been described (23)(24)(25)(26)(27), although the requirement for human ORs in ligand recognition and fertilization has been seriously challenged (28). In a potentially striking example of convergent evolution, we describe the expression of a subset of ORs in male germ cells of A. gambiae where they act to modulate activation and perhaps orientation of spermatozoa, which are critical to male reproductive fitness.…”

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confidence: 99%

Odorant receptor-mediated sperm activation in disease vector mosquitoes

Pitts

Liu

Zhou

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Insects, such as the malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, depend upon chemoreceptors to respond to volatiles emitted from a range of environmental sources, most notably blood meal hosts and oviposition sites. A subset of peripheral signaling pathways involved in these insect chemosensory-dependent behaviors requires the activity of heteromeric odorant receptor (OR) ion channel complexes and ligands for numerous A. gambiae ORs (AgOrs) have been identified. Although AgOrs are expressed in nonhead appendages, studies characterizing potential AgOr function in nonolfactory tissues have not been conducted. In the present study, we explore the possibility that AgOrs mediate responses of spermatozoa to endogenous signaling molecules in A. gambiae. In addition to finding AgOr transcript expression in testes, we show that the OR coreceptor, AgOrco, is localized to the flagella of A. gambiae spermatozoa where Orco-specific agonists, antagonists, and other odorant ligands robustly activate flagella beating in an Orco-dependent process. We also demonstrate Orco expression and Orco-mediated activation of spermatozoa in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Moreover, we find Orco localization in testes across distinct insect taxa and posit that OR-mediated responses in spermatozoa may represent a general characteristic of insect reproduction and an example of convergent evolution.transcriptomics | cell signaling | gamete | chemical ecology | Culicidae

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“…Key proteins found within human spermatozoa that might provide contraceptive targets, including some GPCRs (for example, the ORs; ref. 71), do not possess orthologous proteins present in the mouse genome, making it virtually impossible to move forward with any confidence. The reverse is also apparently true.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the connection between ORs and chemotaxis was only made more recently (111). Signaling through a specific human testicular OR, hOR17-4, caused both chemokinetic and chemotactic responses by sperm in vitro (71,111). Bourgeonal was identified as an agonist that could stimulate these responses, whereas undecanol functioned as an antagonist of these effects (71,111).…”

Section: New Leads For Contraceptivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

As the world grows: contraception in the 21st century

Aitken¹,

Baker²,

Doncel³

et al. 2008

J. Clin. Invest.

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Contraceptives that are readily available and acceptable are required in many poorer countries to reduce population growth and in all countries to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality arising from unintended pregnancies. Most available methods use hormonal steroids or are variations of barrier methods. Reports from several fora over the last 12 years have emphasized the number of unwanted pregnancies and resultant abortions, which indicate an unmet need for safe, acceptable, and inexpensive contraceptive methods. This unmet need can be assuaged, in part, by development of new nonhormonal contraceptive methods. This Review addresses the contribution that the "omic" revolution can make to the identification of novel contraceptive targets, as well as the progress that has been made for different target molecules under development.

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Odorant receptors and olfactory-like signaling mechanisms in mammalian sperm

Cited by 97 publications

References 73 publications

Analysis of chemotaxis when the fraction of responsive cells is small - application to mammalian sperm guidance

Analysis of chemotaxis when the fraction of responsive cells is small - application to mammalian sperm guidance

Odorant receptor-mediated sperm activation in disease vector mosquitoes

As the world grows: contraception in the 21st century

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