Chemotactic response with a constant delay-time mechanism in Ciona spermatozoa revealed by a high time resolution analysis of flagellar motility

During their chemotactic swimming toward eggs, sperm cells detect their species-specific chemoattractant and sense concentration gradients by unknown mechanisms. After sensing the attractant, sperm cells commonly demonstrate a series of responses involving different swimming patterns by changing flagellar beats, gradually approaching a swimming path toward the eggs, which is the source of chemoattractants. Shiba et al. observed a rapid increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations in Ciona spermatozoa after sensing chemoattractants; however, the biochemical processes occurring inside the sperm cells are unclear. In the present study, we focused on the timing and sensing mechanism of chemical signal detection in Ciona. One of the most crucial problems to be solved is defining the initial epoch of chemotactic responses. We adopted a high rate of video recording (600 Hz) for detailed analysis of sperm motion and a novel method for detecting subtle signs of beat forms and moving paths of sperm heads. From these analyses, we estimated a virtual sensing point of the attractant before initiation of motility responses and found that the time delay from sensing to motility responses was almost constant. To evaluate the efficiency of this constant delay model, we performed computer simulation of chemotactic behaviors of Ciona spermatozoa.