BACKGROUND CatSper1 and CatSper2 are two recently identified channel-like proteins, which show sperm specific expression patterns. Through targeted mutagenesis in the mouse, CatSper1 has been shown to be required for fertility, sperm motility and for cAMP induced Ca2+ current in sperm. Both channels resemble a single pore forming repeat from a four repeat voltage dependent Ca2+ /Na+ channel. Ho...

background: the predominant phytoestrogen in soy and derived products is the isoflavone genistein. genistein has antioxidant properties. morphine is a main psychoactive chemical in opium that can increase the generation of free radicals and therefore it could adversely affects the spermatogenesis. objective: the main goal was to investigate whether the genistein could protect morphine adverse e...

The sperm-specific CatSper channel controls the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and, thereby, the swimming behaviour of sperm. In humans, CatSper is directly activated by progesterone and prostaglandins-female factors that stimulate Ca(2+) influx. Other factors including neurotransmitters, chemokines, and odorants also affect sperm function by changing [Ca(2+)](i). Several liga...

putative calcium channel specific to sperm tails may be the best target yet for a male contraceptive. The protein, dubbed CatSper, was discovered in a homology search by David Clapham and colleagues of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. CatSper looks like a calcium channel, although Clapham could not detect a calcium current in transfected cells, probably because another component of the chann...

Genetic defects during spermatogenesis can lead to a reduction in sperm motility and cause male infertility. The cation channels of sperm (CatSper) play a role in the regulation of hyperactivated sperm motility in mouse testes. The effect of Trigonellae Semen (TS) on the male reproductive system and CatSper protein in mouse testes during spermatogenesis was examined. C57BL/c mice were divided i...

The cation channel of sperm (CatSper) protein family plays important roles in male reproduction and infertility. The four members of this family are expressed exclusively in the testis and are localized differently in sperm. To investigate the effects of Panax ginseng treatment on the expression of CatSper genes and sperm hyperactivation in male mice, sperm motility and CatSper gene expression ...

putative calcium channel specific to sperm tails may be the best target yet for a male contraceptive. The protein, dubbed CatSper, was discovered in a homology search by David Clapham and colleagues of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. CatSper looks like a calcium channel, although Clapham could not detect a calcium current in transfected cells, probably because another component of the chann...

putative calcium channel specific to sperm tails may be the best target yet for a male contraceptive. The protein, dubbed CatSper, was discovered in a homology search by David Clapham and colleagues of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. CatSper looks like a calcium channel, although Clapham could not detect a calcium current in transfected cells, probably because another component of the chann...

A recent study in Science finds that α/β-hydrolase domain-containing protein 2 (ABHD2) is a novel nongenomic progesterone receptor that holds the CatSper cation channel open while progesterone elevates sperm cytoplasmic calcium ion (Ca) levels and triggers sperm hyperactive motility. ABHD2 functions as a lipid hydrolase, breaking down arachidonoylglycerols (2-AG/1AG)—endocannabinoid components ...

The Catsper channel is a sperm-specific, Ca2+-permeable, pH-dependent, and low voltage-dependent channel that is essential for the hyperactivity of sperm flagellum, chemotaxis towards the egg, capacitation and acrosome reaction. All of these physiological events require calcium entry into sperm cells. Remarkably, Catsper genes are exclusively expressed in the testis during spermatogenesis, and ...