The molecular mechanisms underlying Ca(2+) entry into sperm are now much more well defined thanks to direct recordings of mature sperm cells. This article reviews the function of a sperm-specific ion channel, CatSper. CatSpers have a clearly defined function in sperm's hyperactivated motility and are essential for male fertility. We propose that physiological stimuli such as zona pellucida and ...

A sperm-specific cation channel (CatSper) facilitates the entry of calcium necessary for rapid changes in sperm motility allowing the cell to navigate the hurdles of the female reproductive tract and successfully to locate the egg. Brenker and colleagues show that CatSper is (directly) activated by a diverse range of small organic molecules that are reported to evoke chemotaxis in human spermat...

BACKGROUND CatSper genes are a novel family of four sperm-specific calcium channels, which indicate testis-specific expression patterns. Despite the crucial role of CatSper genes in the male reproduction, very little is known about the factors that regulate their expression. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin E treatment on the expression of CatSpe...

A remarkable advance in sperm physiology has recently been published in Nature. Two groups using patch clamping techniques on human sperm have solved a mystery about the sperm cell that has puzzled both andrologists and those involved in nongenomic cellular signalling for over 20 years. In these papers, Lishko and Strunker independently demonstrate that the universal characteristic effect of pr...

introduction: recently, a novel gene was cloned and characterized named catsper, which codes for a unique ca2+ channel that is expressed excludively in the testis. it has crucial role in sperm motility, sperm penetration into the ovum and ultimately male fertility. in the present study, we have evaluated the expression of this gene at different ages of mouse by semi-quantitative rt-pcr. materia...

Background Low levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium are necessary for sperm function. NADPH oxidase 5 (NOX5) is a membrane enzyme which produces ROS. This enzyme is dependent on calcium for its activity. We investigated the importance of NOX5 and an important calcium channel (CatSper) on sperm function. Methods This laboratory in-vitro study was done in Shiraz, Iran, 2016. Norm...

We report that the Gm7068 (CatSpere) and Tex40 (CatSperz) genes encode novel subunits of a 9-subunit CatSper ion channel complex. Targeted disruption of CatSperz reduces CatSper current and sperm rheotactic efficiency in mice, resulting in severe male subfertility. Normally distributed in linear quadrilateral nanodomains along the flagellum, the complex lacking CatSperζ is disrupted at ~0.8 μm ...

CatSper channels (CatSper1–4) are named after the first putative cation channel of sperm (Quill et al., 2001; Ren et al., 2001). CatSpers are putative six-transmembrane (6TM) voltage-gated Ca -permeant channels and seem to be specific to sperm cells. CatSper1 and 2 are each essential for the hyperactivation of sperm cell motility, which is required for fertility. Sequence identities among these...

Ca2+i signalling is pivotal to sperm function. Progesterone, the best-characterized agonist of human sperm Ca2+i signalling, stimulates a biphasic [Ca2+]i rise, comprising a transient and subsequent sustained phase. In accordance with recent reports that progesterone directly activates CatSper, the [Ca2+]i transient was detectable in the anterior flagellum (where CatSper is expressed) 1-2 s bef...