Ejaculated spermatozoa must undergo a series of biochemical modifications called capacitation, prior to fertilization. Protein-kinase A (PKA) mediates sperm capacitation, although its regulation is not fully understood. Sperm contain several A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs), which are scaffold proteins that anchor PKA. In this study, we show that AKAP3 is degraded in bovine sperm incubated u...

Like the human female, the mare experiences reproductive tract pathology that may sometimes be circumvented by the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). One such technology, gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), may be used in mares that exhibit ovulatory, oviductal, or uterine abnormalities that limit the use of common ARTs, such as embryo transfer. Homologous GIFT has been succes...

BACKGROUND Bovine BSP5 is a multifunctional protein primarily involved in sperm capacitation. BSP5 consists of long N-terminal part followed by two similar and highly conserved fibronectin type II domains designated A and B. METHODS In order to assess the role of these domains in the sperm binding and capacitation processes, we created recombinant individual domains (N, A, B), series of overl...

Several studies have shown that dopamine and other catecholamines are present in oviduct luminal fluid. We recently reported that dopamine type 2 receptors (DRD2) are present in a wide range of mammalian sperm, suggesting a role for dopaminergic signaling in events such as fertilization, capacitation, and sperm motility. In the present study, we used Western blot analysis to show that boar sper...

Although mammalian spermatozoa only acquire functional maturity as they are conveyed through the male (epididymal maturation) and female (capacitation) reproductive tracts, the degree of post-testicular development necessary to achieve fertilization in other vertebrate species remains far less clear. Indeed, despite reports that the epididymis of birds and reptiles is capable of secreting prote...

To bind and fertilize the egg, the spermatozoon should undergo few biochemical and motility changes in the female reproductive tract collectively called capacitation. The capacitated spermatozoon binds to the egg zona pellucida, and then undergoes the acrosome reaction (AR), which allows its penetration into the egg. The mechanisms regulating sperm capacitation and the AR are not completely und...

The occurrence of tyrosine phosphorylation (TP) in the sperm head during capacitation has been poorly investigated, and no data exist on the relationship of its dynamics with the acquisition of sperm fertilizing ability. This study localized TP of head proteins in human spermatozoa during capacitation and explored its relationship with acquisition of the ability to display progesterone (P)-stim...

Tienthai, P. 2003. Studies on the sperm reservoir of the pig oviduct. With special reference to intra-luminal fluid, hyaluronan contents and sperm capacitation. Doctor’s dissertation. ISSN 1401-6257, ISBN 91-576-6375-0. During sperm transport in the female pig a proportion of spermatozoa are arrested, often for 24 h or more, in a particular segment of the utero-tubal junction (UTJ) and the adja...

A sulfated gfycoconjugate, named as S-ACT-1, extracted from a red marine algae (Gzlidiella acerosa) found in the Southern coast of Sri Lanka, has been reported for improving-motility of ejaculated human spermatozoa. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of S-ACT-1 on goat sperm capacitation and to establish complete _ vitro maturation (IVM), fertilization (IVF) and culture (IVC) proced...

Ca(2+) influx triggers sperm capacitation; however, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that CNNM4, a Mg(2+) transporter, is required for Ca(2+) influx during capacitation. We find that Cnnm4-deficient male mice are almost infertile because of sperm dysfunction. Motion analyses show that hyperactivation, a qualitative change in the mode of sperm mo...