Changes in flagellar bending during the course of hyperactivation in hamster spermatozoa

Reproduction ◽

10.1530/rep.0.1250043 ◽

2003 ◽

pp. 43-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

M Kinukawa ◽

M Nagata ◽

F Aoki

Keyword(s):

Female Genital Tract ◽

Movement Pattern ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

Motility Pattern ◽

Head Displacement ◽

Bend Angles ◽

Lateral Head ◽

Sperm Movement ◽

Mammalian Spermatozoa

The motility pattern of mammalian spermatozoa changes during migration in the female genital tract and during incubation in vitro. This change in motility is termed hyperactivation. Hyperactivated spermatozoa swim vigorously in 'whiplash', 'figure-8' or 'small circle' trajectories. In this study, a quantitative analysis was carried out of the changes in the motility pattern of hamster spermatozoa during incubation to investigate the mechanism regulating hyperactivation. In the culture system used in this study, hyperactivation occurred 4 h after incubation. Several parameters in the analysis of sperm movement pattern were examined. Curvilinear velocity, average path velocity and straightness abruptly increased between 2 and 4 h. However, linearity, amplitude of lateral head displacement, beat cross frequency and average wavelength gradually changed with time. In the analysis of flagellar bending, the bend angles were measured after dividing images of the flagellum into short lengths. Flagellar bending changed in different manners in each region during incubation. The asymmetry in the direction of the curve of the head gradually increased with time in the first half of the flagellum. The flexibility, which was determined using the amplitude of bending and the rate of change in bend angles, abruptly decreased between 10 min and 1 h, and then increased between 2 and 4 h in the first half of flagellum. These results indicate that complex physiological changes occur before hyperactivation.

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Relationships among in vivo fertility, computer-analysed motility and in vitro Ca2+ flux in bovine spermatozoa

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/cjas94-008 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 74 (1) ◽

pp. 53-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

J. L. Bailey ◽

M. M. Buhr ◽

L. Robertson

Keyword(s):

Rate Of Change ◽

Calcium Flux ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Spermatozoa Motility ◽

Head Displacement ◽

Intracellular Ca ◽

Bovine Spermatozoa ◽

Lateral Head

Correlations among computer-assisted spermatozoa motility analyses, Ca2+ fluxes and in vivo fertility of bovine spermatozoa based on a total of 4482 inseminations were investigated in each of four ejaculates from six bulls. The Ca2+ parameters assessed the rate of change in intra- and extracellular Ca + in fresh and cryopreserved spermatozoa from the same ejaculates and were described in another study. Of the seven motility parameters of cryopreserved semen investigated, all differed significantly among bulls but none were related to the in vivo fertility of cryopreserved semen. The amplitude of lateral head displacement, a motility parameter associated with hyperactivation, was positively correlated with the intracellular Ca2+ levels and the rate of Ca2+ accumulation of cyropreserved spermatozoa. The highest fertility was observed when initial extracellular Ca2+ for cryopreserved spermatozoa was high and when Ca2+ efflux rates of cryopreserved cells approached the higher efflux rates of fresh spermatozoa. Fertility was reduced when cryopreserved spermatozoa had initial internal Ca2+ levels greater than those of fresh spermatozoa or when cryopreserved spermatozoa internalized Ca2+ rapidly. Calcium flux, but not motility, may predict fertilizing capacity of cryopreserved bovine spermatozoa. Key words: Calcium, computer-analysed motility, fertility, spermatozoa, bull

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Effect of three commercial extenders on sperm motility and fertility in liquid ram semen stored at 15 °C or 5 °C

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/004.2019.043 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 67 (3) ◽

pp. 430-444

Author(s):

Ander Arando ◽

Juan Vicente Delgado ◽

José Manuel León ◽

Sergio Nogales ◽

Francisco Javier Navas-González ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sperm Motility ◽

Soybean Lecithin ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Kinematic Parameters ◽

Progressive Motility ◽

Head Displacement ◽

Liquid Storage ◽

Lateral Head

The effect of different extenders on sperm motility and fertility was evaluated during liquid storage of ram semen at 5 °C and 15 °C. The semen was collected, pooled and diluted in three commercial extenders: Inra 96® (INRA) based on skimmed milk, Biladyl® A fraction (BIL) based on egg yolk, and Ovixcell® (OVIX) based on soybean lecithin. Then, sperm motility was evaluated at 0, 6, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. In order to evaluate fertility, samples stored at 15 °C were used after dilution in INRA and OVIX. Results showed that progressive motility was significantly higher up to 72 h of storage in sperm samples maintained at 5 °C in comparison with 15 °C, similarly for each tested diluent. When samples were stored at 5 °C in OVIX, kinematic parameters such as velocity (except curvilinear velocity, VCL), trajectory [linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), wobble (WOB)], amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) and beat/cross frequency (BCF) were higher than in INRA and BIL. No significant differences in pregnancy rate were detected between INRA (62.6%) and OVIX (58.9%). In conclusion, liquid storage at 5 °C with OVIX extender is an interesting option since non-animal components are used, and this extender offers similar in vitro and in vivo efficacy as other extenders containing animal components.

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Characterisation of movement pattern and velocities of stallion spermatozoa depending on donor, season and cryopreservation

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/avet.51.2003.3.13 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 395-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Christina Warnke ◽

A. Tuchscherer ◽

Hannelore Alm ◽

W. Kanitz ◽

S. Blottner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breeding Season ◽

Rank Order ◽

Movement Pattern ◽

Mean Velocity ◽

Sperm Analysis ◽

Head Displacement ◽

Straight Line ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Casa System ◽

Lateral Head

The aim of the study was to compare different types of movement pattern and velocities of stallion spermatozoa depending on cryopreservation during breeding and non-breeding season. Ejaculates were collected from four stallions during May (n = 24) and December (n = 24). Parameters of sperm movement were evaluated by computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) system, and included percentages of motile spermatozoa, different patterns of motility, the velocity, linearity (LIN), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) and beat-cross frequency (BCF). In winter the average percentages of motility were slightly higher compared to the breeding season in May (70.8 ± 12.7% vs. 66.8 ± 12.2%, respectively). Cryopreservation and thawing led to a significant decrease in the number of motile sperm to 11.3 ± 5.8% in May and 15.6 ± 7.0% in December. The pattern of motility was also changed. Detailed analysis by CASA demonstrated that cryopreservation resulted in a shift from the proportions of linear to more non-linear motile spermatozoa and to a significant increase of local motile and hyperactivated spermatozoa. Mean velocity of fresh motile spermatozoa differed between May and December (119.1 ± 43.9 vs. 164.4 ± 66.4 µm/sec, respectively; P < 0.05). Cryopreservation and thawing led to a slight increase of curvilinear velocity (VCL) and straight line velocity (VSL). The motility analysis has shown that the parameters BCF and ALH were highly correlated in stallion spermatozoa (r = -0.67; P < 0.001). The BCF of stallion spermatozoa was slightly reduced in the non-breeding season. Altogether, the influence of factors on the motility of stallion spermatozoa has the following rank order: cryopreservation (P < 0.0001) ≯ stallion (P < 0.001) ≯ season (P < 0.05).

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Angiotensin II induces acrosomal exocytosis in bovine spermatozoa

AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1152/ajpendo.1998.275.1.e87 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 275 (1) ◽

pp. E87-E93 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yael Gur ◽

Haim Breitbart ◽

Yehudit Lax ◽

Sara Rubinstein ◽

Nadav Zamir

Keyword(s):

Angiotensin Ii ◽

Acrosome Reaction ◽

Female Genital Tract ◽

Angiotensin Receptors ◽

Ang Ii ◽

Acrosomal Exocytosis ◽

Bovine Spermatozoa ◽

Mammalian Spermatozoa ◽

Female Genital

Ejaculated mammalian spermatozoa must reside in the female genital tract for some time before gaining the ability to fertilize the egg. During this time, spermatozoa undergo some physiological changes that collectively are called capacitation. Capacitation of mammalian spermatozoa is a prerequisite for acrosome reaction, which is an exocytotic event occurring before fertilization. The specific biophysical and biochemical changes that accompany sperm capacitation and the agonists inducing acrosome reaction are not fully understood. Using SDS-gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, we demonstrate the existence of a class of angiotensin receptors (AT1) in bovine spermatozoa. In capacitated sperm, we show that angiotensin II (ANG II) AT1 receptors are localized in the head and tail, whereas in noncapacitated cells the receptors are localized in the tail only. We find that ANG II markedly stimulates acrosomal exocytosis of capacitated bovine spermatozoa in vitro in a concentration range of 0.1–10 nM. No effect of ANG II was found in noncapacitated cells. The ability of ANG II to stimulate the acrosome reaction depends on the presence of calcium ions in the incubation medium. The ANG II-induced acrosome reaction was markedly inhibited by a selective AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan (DUP 753). PD-123319, a selective antagonist of the ANG II AT2 receptor, had no effect on the ANG II-induced acrosome reaction. Thus ANG II via activation of AT1 receptors may play a regulatory role in the induction of the acrosome reaction.

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Acrosin is essential for sperm penetration through the zona pellucida in hamsters

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1917595117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (5) ◽

pp. 2513-2518 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Michiko Hirose ◽

Arata Honda ◽

Helena Fulka ◽

Miwa Tamura-Nakano ◽

Shogo Matoba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Zona Pellucida ◽

Female Genital Tract ◽

Vitro Fertilization ◽

Sperm Penetration ◽

New Gene ◽

Pass Through ◽

Mammalian Spermatozoa ◽

Female Genital

During natural fertilization, mammalian spermatozoa must pass through the zona pellucida before reaching the plasma membrane of the oocyte. It is assumed that this step involves partial lysis of the zona by sperm acrosomal enzymes, but there has been no unequivocal evidence to support this view. Here we present evidence that acrosin, an acrosomal serine protease, plays an essential role in sperm penetration of the zona. We generated acrosin-knockout (KO) hamsters, using an in vivo transfection CRISPR/Cas9 system. Homozygous mutant males were completely sterile. Acrosin-KO spermatozoa ascended the female genital tract and reached ovulated oocytes in the oviduct ampulla, but never fertilized them. In vitro fertilization (IVF) experiments revealed that mutant spermatozoa attached to the zona, but failed to penetrate it. When the zona pellucida was removed before IVF, all oocytes were fertilized. This indicates that in hamsters, acrosin plays an indispensable role in allowing fertilizing spermatozoa to penetrate the zona. This study also suggests that the KO hamster system would be a useful model for identifying new gene functions or analyzing human and animal disorders because of its technical facility and reproducibility.

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Influence of chamber type integrated with computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) system on the results of boar semen evaluation

Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences ◽

10.1515/pjvs-2015-0106 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 817-824 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

D. Gączarzewicz

Keyword(s):

Semen Analysis ◽

Sperm Concentration ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Head Displacement ◽

Manual Counting ◽

Boar Semen ◽

Casa System ◽

Microscopic Slide ◽

Lateral Head ◽

Sperm Movement

Abstract The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of different types of chambers used in computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) on boar sperm concentration and motility parameters. CASA measurements were performed on 45 ejaculates by comparing three commonly used chambers: Leja chamber (LJ), Makler chamber (MK) and microscopic slide-coverslip (SL). Concentration results obtained with CASA were verified by manual counting on a Bürker hemocytometer (BH). No significant differences were found between the concentrations determined with BH vs. LJ and SL, whereas higher (p<0.01) values of this parameter were obtained with MK. Compared to MK and SL, significantly higher values were recorded in LJ for velocity (VCL and VAP) as well as amplitude of the lateral head displacement (ALH) and beat cross frequency (BCF), which was associated with significantly higher percentages of motile, progressively motile and rapidly progressive motile spermatozoa. Higher values for the linearity (LIN) and straightness (STR) of sperm movement were obtained for the analysis performed in MK and SL. In both these chambers, the results of all the linearity and kinetic parameters of sperm were similar (p>0.05). The results obtained show that CASA assessment of boar semen should account for the effect of counting chamber on the results of sperm motility and concentration, which confirms the need for further study on standardizing the automatic analysis of boar semen.

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In vitro effect of spermatozoal antibodies on human sperm movement

Journal of Reproductive Immunology ◽

10.1016/0165-0378(89)90154-x ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 67

Author(s):

R Zouari ◽

M de Almeida ◽

D Feneux ◽

P Jouannet ◽

C Serres

Keyword(s):

Human Sperm ◽

Vitro Effect ◽

Sperm Movement

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Vaginitis Due To Pichia fermentans in a Patient Affected by Endometrial Cancer: A Novel Case Report

Current Women s Health Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573404817666210712214458 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Author(s):

Zarifeh Adampour ◽

Malihe Hasanzadeh ◽

Hossein Zarrinfar ◽

Maryam Nakhaei ◽

Monika Novak Babič

Keyword(s):

Endometrial Cancer ◽

Susceptibility Testing ◽

Antifungal Susceptibility ◽

Female Genital Tract ◽

Antifungal Susceptibility Testing ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Microbial Infections ◽

Life Threatening ◽

In Vitro Antifungal Susceptibility

Introduction: Endometrial cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the female genital tract, which can be serious or life-threatening. Microbial infections can be one of the underlying causes of this type of cancer. Case Presentation: The present study describes the isolation of Pichia fermentans (Candida firmentaria var. firmentaria) from the vaginal secretions of a 61-year-old woman affected by endometrial cancer. She reported abdominal pain and vaginal discharge for 3 months, and had a history of diabetes, hypertension, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The isolated yeast was identified based on nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-ITS2 rDNA) sequence analysis. The in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing showed a higher effect for ketoconazole against P. fermentans than fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole. Conclusion: Correct differentiation between P. fermentans and other yeast should be considered. The in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing is recommended for rare yeast, and will help the physicians in providing the best treatment.

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Filtration by superficial and deep glomeruli of normovolemic and volume-depleted rats

AJP Renal Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajprenal.1986.250.1.f86 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 250 (1) ◽

pp. F86-F91

Author(s):

R. V. Pinnick ◽

V. J. Savin

Keyword(s):

Basement Membrane ◽

Maximum Rate ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

The Other ◽

Membrane Area ◽

Morphometric Analyses ◽

Three Samples ◽

Glomerular Size ◽

Glomerular Ultrafiltration

We measured glomerular ultrafiltration coefficient (Kf) of isolated superficial (S) and deep (D) glomeruli of normovolemic and volume-depleted rats. Filtration was induced in vitro, and Kf was calculated from the maximum rate of change in glomerular size. Basement membrane area (A) for each glomerulus was estimated from morphometric analyses, and glomerular capillary hydraulic conductivity (Lp) was calculated by the formula Lp = Kf/A. Kf of S and D glomeruli of normovolemic rats were 2.98 +/- 0.98 and 4.25 +/- 0.07 nl . min-1 . mmHg-1, respectively. In hypovolemic rats, Kf of S glomeruli fell by approximately 50% to 1.52 +/- 0.14 nl . min-1 . mmHg-1 (P less than 0.001), whereas Kf of D glomeruli remained unchanged at 4.28 +/- 0.10 nl . min-1 . mmHg-1. Lp, calculated using the peripheral capillary area, averaged 1.98 +/- 0.09 and 1.98 +/- 0.06 microliter . min-1 . mmHg-1 . cm-2 in S and D glomeruli of normovolemic rats and 1.89 +/- 0.11 microliter . min-1 . mmHg-1 . cm-2 in D glomeruli of hypovolemic rats. Lp of S glomeruli of volume-depleted rats (0.90 +/- 0.03 microliter . min-1 . mmHg-1 . cm-2) was lower than in any of the other three samples. Mild hypovolemia causes the Kf of S glomeruli to decline, whereas Kf of D glomeruli remains constant. The decrease in Kf occurs without an alteration in capillary area and is most likely due to a decrease in Lp.

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