BACKGROUND Mammalian sperm must undergo a series of controlled molecular processes in the female reproductive tract called capacitation before they are capable of penetrating and fertilizing the egg. Capacitation, as a complex biological process, is influenced by many molecular factors, among which steroidal hormone estrogens play their role. Estrogens, present in a high concentration in the fe...

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...

OBJECTIVE CatSper is a voltage-sensitive calcium channel that is specifically expressed in the testis and it has a significant role in sperm performance. CatSper (1-4) ion channel subunit genes, causes sperm cell hyperactivation and male fertility. In this study, we have explored targeting of the extracellular loop as an approach for the generation of antibodies with the potential ability to bl...

The rat sperm surface antigen 2D6, located over the entire surface of the spermatozoon, is shown by use of a monoclonal antibody in indirect immunofluorescence experiments to spread laterally over the surface of the egg after fusion of sperm and egg plasma membranes at fertilization. Freshly fertilized eggs, obtained from superovulated rats 14 h after hCG injection, showed the 2D6 antigen to ha...

Background: Fertilization and fecundation obviously are the phenomenon in which several factors are involved. Sperm membranous proteins are a series of these important elements. CD9, an inner acrosomal membrane protein, is one of the tetraspanin members that involved in sperm-egg fusion. CD52, is a GPI anchor protein which is expressed in the epididymal cells and during passage of sperms throug...

BACKGROUND Protein tyrosine phosphorylation (TP) of human sperm is related to sperm capacitation and zona pellucida (ZP) binding. The aim of this study was to determine whether the TP of capacitated sperm is a useful marker for the ability of sperm to bind to the ZP and undergo the ZP-induced acrosome reaction (AR). METHODS Semen samples were obtained from 115 subfertile men with sperm count ...

Semenogelin (Sg) is secreted from the seminal vesicle and constitutes a major gel-forming protein in semen. Sg plays an important role for inhibiting sperm motility. Human seminal plasma has immunosuppressive effects on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Here, we studied whether human Sg exerted immunosuppressive effects on human lymphocyte functions in vitro. We found that Sg reduced pr...

The proper assembly of sperm flagellar proteins is fundamental for sperm motility. The sperm- and spermatid-specific isoform of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GAPDS, is a flagellar protein indispensable for sperm flagellar movement. To obtain information on the assembly of the glycolytic enzyme into the flagellum, the precise localization of rat GAPDS in the flagellum and the stage o...

We have used a monoclonal antibody ESA 152 in fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FPR) studies of a maturation-dependent surface antigen of ram sperm. The antibody is an immunoglobulin G secreted by a hybridoma derived from NS1 mouse myeloma cells. The ESA 152 antigen is not detectable in testicular sperm. It is localized on the surface of ejaculated sperm where it is present on all reg...