Thermotaxis of mammalian sperm cells: A potential navigation mechanism in the female genital tract

Bahat, Anat; Tur-Kaspa, Ilan; Gakamsky, Anna; Giojalas, Laura Cecilia; Breitbart, Haim; Eisenbach, Michael

doi:10.1038/nm0203-149

Cited by 215 publications

(182 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…For example, fertilization in mammals is navigated by the temperature gradient (Bahat et al, 2003); an increase in neuronal activity associated with temperature elevations has been observed in the hippocampus (Andersen and Moser, 1995); sex in reptiles is determined by the absolute temperature (Warner and Shine, 2008); and plants react to temperature stresses to maximize growth and developmental processes (Sung et al, 2003). It has recently been clarified that ambient thermoreceptors are expressed as a family of channels in the specific regions in the brain (Hamada et al, 2008), sensory nerve endings, and skin (Dhaka et al, 2006).…”

Section: Intracellular Camentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly thermosensitive Ca²⁺dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP₃receptors

et al. 2009

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Section: Intracellular Camentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly thermosensitive Ca²⁺dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP₃receptors

et al. 2009

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“…One interesting consequence of capacitation is the apparent activation, or unmasking, of receptors that respond to chemical stimuli from oocytes or thermal gradients within the oviduct (Fabro et al 2002, Bahat et al 2003. Once the sperm reservoir has been established in the oviduct, only a small proportion of spermatozoa undergo capacitation at any given period.…”

Section: Capacitation Egg Recognition and Penetrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concepts in sperm heterogeneity, sperm selection and sperm competition as biological foundations for laboratory tests of semen quality

Holt

Look²

2004

Reproduction

155

121

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Stringent selection mechanisms, in both internal and external fertilisation systems, reject all but a significant minority of the spermatozoa released at ejaculation. Sperm competition theory provides circumstantial evidence that the selection process involves mechanisms by which the quality of the fertilising spermatozoon is controlled, thereby ensuring that females and their offspring receive high quality genetic material. In this review we examine some of these selection processes to see whether they could be exploited for the improvement of laboratory tests of sperm quality. Such tests are not only required for clinical and agricultural purposes, but are increasingly needed in fields such as reproductive and environmental toxicology where the species requirement is much broader. Despite many years of research, sperm quality assessment methods continue to provide imprecise data about fertility; here we suggest that this may be a consequence of using tests that focus on the spermatozoa that would normally be unable to fertilise under natural conditions. To achieve fertilisation a spermatozoon must be capable of responding appropriately to external signalling stimuli; those involving protein kinase-regulated flagellar function seem especially influential in governing effects ranging from non-Mendelian inheritance in mammals to sperm chemotaxis in sea urchins. Examination of the elicited responses reveals considerable heterogeneity in all species. Here we propose that this level of heterogeneity is meaningful both in terms of understanding how spermatozoa from some individuals possess fertility advantages over spermatozoa from their rivals in sperm competition, and in that the heterogeneity should be exploitable in the development of more accurate laboratory tests.

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“…In vivo sperm motility and migration are influenced strongly by the physiological state of contraction of, and fluid secretion in, the female genital tract. Based on a detailed kinetic analysis of migrated sperm in the female genital tract, it was found that chemotaxis,1 thermotaxis,6, 7 and rheotaxis8 are involved in sperm migration. In mammals, swine sperm chemotaxis toward the leukocytes9 and rabbit and human sperm chemotaxis toward the follicular fluid have been reported 10, 11.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Possible ability of bovine follicular fluid to attract migrating bull spermatozoa

Mondal

Takagi

Baba

et al. 2017

Reprod Medicine & Biology

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AimTo examine the potential of bovine follicular fluid (BFF) to attract bull spermatozoa.MethodsThe ability of the BFF to attract bull sperm was evaluated by observing changes in sperm migration after being placed in a cross‐column chamber. The movement parameters of the heads and flagella of the sperm that were attracted to the BFF were analyzed by using the Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis system.ResultsIt was observed that 61.6% of the bull sperm migrated toward the BFF when the BFF was used at a concentration of 0.1%, but 67.2% of the sperm did not migrate toward the BFF at a concentration of 10%. Relatively larger numbers of both precapacitated and postcapacitated bull sperm migrated toward the BFF (0.1%). The ability of the 0.1% BFF to attract sperm probably affected both the normal artificial insemination (AI) fertility sperm and the poor AI fertility spermatozoa. The flagellar curvilinear ratio of the sperm winding to the 0.1% BFF was significantly higher than that of the prewinding sperm.ConclusionThese results could suggest that BFF potentially attracts bull sperm at a certain concentration, irrespective of the capacitation status of the sperm. Although the mechanism by which this attraction occurs remains unclear, these data imply that it could be related to BFF‐dependent changes in the sperm flagellar curvilinear ratio.

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Thermotaxis of mammalian sperm cells: A potential navigation mechanism in the female genital tract

Cited by 215 publications

References 9 publications

Highly thermosensitive Ca²⁺dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP₃receptors

Highly thermosensitive Ca²⁺dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP₃receptors

Concepts in sperm heterogeneity, sperm selection and sperm competition as biological foundations for laboratory tests of semen quality

Possible ability of bovine follicular fluid to attract migrating bull spermatozoa

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Thermotaxis of mammalian sperm cells: A potential navigation mechanism in the female genital tract

Cited by 215 publications

References 9 publications

Highly thermosensitive Ca2+dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP3receptors

Highly thermosensitive Ca2+dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP3receptors

Concepts in sperm heterogeneity, sperm selection and sperm competition as biological foundations for laboratory tests of semen quality

Possible ability of bovine follicular fluid to attract migrating bull spermatozoa

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Product

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Highly thermosensitive Ca²⁺dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP₃receptors

Highly thermosensitive Ca²⁺dynamics in a HeLa cell through IP₃receptors