Ejaculated mammalian sperm must undergo a maturation process called capacitation before they are able to fertilize an egg. Several studies have suggested a role for members of the secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) family in capacitation, acrosome reaction (AR), and fertilization, but the molecular nature of these enzymes and their specific roles have remained elusive. Here, we have demonstrated...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of artificial oocyte activation (AOA) on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles using surgically retrieved sperm. DESIGN Laboratory study. SETTING Fertility/assisted fertilization center. PATIENT(S) Couples undergoing surgical sperm retrieval for ICSI (n = 204). INTERVENTION(S) Application of calcium ionophore A23187 for AOA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASU...

A mutation in the Caenorhabditis elegans spe-38 gene results in a sperm-specific fertility defect. spe-38 sperm are indistinguishable from wild-type sperm with regards to their morphology, motility and migratory behavior. spe-38 sperm make close contact with oocytes but fail to fertilize them. spe-38 sperm can also stimulate ovulation and engage in sperm competition. The spe-38 gene is predicte...

Sperm cryopreservation is the best modality to ensure future fertility for males diagnosed with cancer. The extent to which cryopreserved sperm is actually used for impregnation, the fertility treatment options that are available and the success rates of these treatments have not been investigated in depth. The medical records of 682 patients who cryopreserved sperm cells due to cancer treatmen...

Excess weight and obesity have become a serious problem in adult men of reproductive age throughout the world. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the relationships between body mass index and sperm quality in subfertile couples in a Chinese Han population. Sperm analyses were performed and demographic data collected from 2384 male partners in subfertile couples who visited a ...

In Drosophila, mature sperm are transferred from males to females during copulation, stored in the sperm storage organs of females, and then utilized for fertilization. Here, we report a gene named sheepish (shps) of Drosophila melanogaster that is essential for sperm storage in females. shps mutant males, although producing morphologically normal and motile sperm that are effectively transferr...

To initiate fertilization, mouse sperm bind to Ser- (O-) linked oligosaccharides located at the sperm combining site of zona pellucida glycoprotein mZP3. Apparently, the oligosaccharides are present on one or more of five Ser residues clustered in the carboxyl-terminal region of the mZP3 polypeptide. Here, each of the Ser residues, as well as an intervening Asn residue, was converted to a small...

What is it? Major sperm protein, commonly referred to as MSP, is the centerpiece of the motility machinery that propels the crawling movement of nematode sperm. MSP was originally identified in Caenorhabditis elegans, but has since been found in sperm from several other species of nematode. The name derives from the abundance and cellular specificity of the 14 kDa protein: MSP makes up 15–20% o...

S early as 1911 0. HERTWIC demonstrated two types of behavior of irA radiated Amphibian sperm. One of these, the dominant lethal effect, resulted in death of embryos due to fusion of injured sperm nucleus with egg nucleus. The other, inactivation of sperm, stimulated the egg to develop gynogenetically since injured sperm entered it but took no part in development. PACKARD (1914) observed, in ad...

Recently, numerous studies have reported that the mature sperm contains both coding and non-coding RNAs and the sperm delivers some RNAs to the oocyte at fertilization. However, the functions of the RNAs carried to the oocyte by sperm at fertilization in embryonic development remains a mystery. In this study, the mature spermatozoa were treated with lysolecithin, pronase and RNases (RNase A and...