scholarly journals Role and Modulation of TRPV1 in Mammalian Spermatozoa: An Updated Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4306
Author(s):  
Marina Ramal-Sanchez ◽  
Nicola Bernabò ◽  
Luca Valbonetti ◽  
Costanza Cimini ◽  
Angela Taraschi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Reproductive Process ◽  
Numerous Cell ◽  
Sperm Migration ◽  
Bibliographic Search ◽  
First Time

Based on the abundance of scientific publications, the polymodal sensor TRPV1 is known as one of the most studied proteins within the TRP channel family. This receptor has been found in numerous cell types from different species as well as in spermatozoa. The present review is focused on analyzing the role played by this important channel in the post-ejaculatory life of spermatozoa, where it has been described to be involved in events such as capacitation, acrosome reaction, calcium trafficking, sperm migration, and fertilization. By performing an exhaustive bibliographic search, this review gathers, for the first time, all the modulators of the TRPV1 function that, to our knowledge, were described to date in different species and cell types. Moreover, all those modulators with a relationship with the reproductive process, either found in the female tract, seminal plasma, or spermatozoa, are presented here. Since the sperm migration through the female reproductive tract is one of the most intriguing and less understood events of the fertilization process, in the present work, chemotaxis, thermotaxis, and rheotaxis guiding mechanisms and their relationship with TRPV1 receptor are deeply analyzed, hypothesizing its (in)direct participation during the sperm migration. Last, TRPV1 is presented as a pharmacological target, with a special focus on humans and some pathologies in mammals strictly related to the male reproductive system.

scholarly journals Microgrooves and fluid flows provide preferential passageways for sperm over pathogen Tritrichomonas foetus

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (17) ◽  
pp. 5431-5436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-kuan Tung ◽  
Lian Hu ◽  
Alyssa G. Fiore ◽  
Florencia Ardon ◽  
Dillon G. Hickman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Tritrichomonas Foetus ◽  
Reproductive Process ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Vitro Fertilization ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Posterior Flagellum ◽  
Sperm Migration

Successful mammalian reproduction requires that sperm migrate through a long and convoluted female reproductive tract before reaching oocytes. For many years, fertility studies have focused on biochemical and physiological requirements of sperm. Here we show that the biophysical environment of the female reproductive tract critically guides sperm migration, while at the same time preventing the invasion of sexually transmitted pathogens. Using a microfluidic model, we demonstrate that a gentle fluid flow and microgrooves, typically found in the female reproductive tract, synergistically facilitate bull sperm migration toward the site of fertilization. In contrast, a flagellated sexually transmitted bovine pathogen, Tritrichomonas foetus, is swept downstream under the same conditions. We attribute the differential ability of sperm and T. foetus to swim against flow to the distinct motility types of sperm and T. foetus; specifically, sperm swim using a posterior flagellum and are near-surface swimmers, whereas T. foetus swims primarily via three anterior flagella and demonstrates much lower attraction to surfaces. This work highlights the importance of biophysical cues within the female reproductive tract in the reproductive process and provides insight into coevolution of males and females to promote fertilization while suppressing infection. Furthermore, the results provide previously unidentified directions for the development of in vitro fertilization devices and contraceptives.

Development of parthenogenetic and fertilized mouse embryos in the uterus and in extra-uterine sites

Development ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 387-405
Author(s):  
S. A. Iles ◽  
M. W. McBurney ◽  
S. R. Bramwell ◽  
Z. A. Deussen ◽  
C. F. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Neural Tissue ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Mouse Embryos ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Embryonic Cells ◽  
Haploid Embryos ◽  
Keratinized Epithelium ◽  
Mouse Eggs

Mouse eggs were activated with hyaluronidase in vitro and subsequently transferred to the oviduct. In the female reproductive tract they formed morulae and blastocysts which died soon after implantation. Haploid blastocysts were transferred beneath the kidney capsule and here some formed disorganized egg-cylinder structures in a week. Morulae and blastocysts from haploid and diploid parthenogenones were also transferred beneath the testis capsule. Two to four months later the growths which had formed were sectioned. They contained neural tissue, pigment, keratinized epithelium, glandular epithelium, ciliated epithelium, cartilage, bone, muscle, adipose tissue, and haemopoietic tissue. The range of cell types was similar to that produced by fertilized control blastocysts except that the parthenogenones did not form identifiable yolk-sac carcinoma or embryonal carcinomacells. The growths from haploid and diploid parthenogenones in the testis were stained with Feulgen and their DNA content measured. Growths from diploid embryos contained the normal diploid amount of DNA while growths from haploid embryos contained less than this amount. Cell cultures were prepared from the growths. The cells which were investigated contained no Y chromosome, suggesting that they were derived from the embryonic cells rather than the cells of the male host. These cells contained a near diploid chromosome number, although some of them were originally derived from haploid embryos.

Wnt-7a maintains appropriate uterine patterning during the development of the mouse female reproductive tract

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (16) ◽  
pp. 3201-3211 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Miller ◽  
D.A. Sassoon
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Hox Genes ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Anteroposterior Patterning ◽  
Stratified Epithelium ◽  
Distinct Cell ◽  
Hoxa Gene Expression ◽  
Posterior Shift

The murine female reproductive tract differentiates along the anteroposterior axis during postnatal development. This process is marked by the emergence of distinct cell types in the oviduct, uterus, cervix and vagina and is dependent upon specific mesenchymal-epithelial interactions as demonstrated by earlier heterografting experiments. Members of the Wnt family of signaling molecules have been recently identified in this system and an early functional role in reproductive tract development has been demonstrated. Mice were generated using ES-mediated homologous recombination for the Wnt-7a gene (Parr, B. A. and McMahon, A. P. (1995) Nature 374, 350–353). Since Wnt-7a is expressed in the female reproductive tract, we examined the developmental consequences of lack of Wnt-7a in the female reproductive tract. We observe that the oviduct lacks a clear demarcation from the anterior uterus, and acquires several cellular and molecular characteristics of the uterine horn. The uterus acquires cellular and molecular characteristics that represent an intermediate state between normal uterus and vagina. Normal vaginas have stratified epithelium and normal uteri have simple columnar epithelium, however, mutant uteri have stratified epithelium. Additionally, Wnt-7a mutant uteri do not form glands. The changes observed in the oviduct and uterus are accompanied by a postnatal loss of hoxa-10 and hoxa-11 expression, revealing that Wnt-7a is not required for early hoxa gene expression, but is required for maintenance of expression. These clustered hox genes have been shown to play a role in anteroposterior patterning in the female reproductive tract. In addition to this global posterior shift in the female reproductive tract, we note that the uterine smooth muscle is disorganized, indicating development along the radial axis is affected. Changes in the boundaries and levels of other Wnt genes are detectable at birth, prior to changes in morphologies. These results suggest that a mechanism whereby Wnt-7a signaling from the epithelium maintains the molecular and morphological boundaries of distinct cellular populations along the anteroposterior and radial axes of the female reproductive tract.

scholarly journals On viscous propulsion in active transversely isotropic media

2018 ◽  
Vol 855 ◽  
pp. 408-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cupples ◽  
R. J. Dyson ◽  
D. J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Activity Parameter ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Common Limit ◽  
Isotropic Media ◽  
Sperm Migration ◽  
Alignment Angle

Very low Reynolds number propulsion is a topic of enduring interest due to its importance in biological systems such as sperm migration in the female reproductive tract. Motivated by the fibrous nature of cervical mucus, several recent studies have considered the effect of anisotropic rheology; these studies have generally employed the classical swimming sheet model of G. I. Taylor. The models of Cupples et al. (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 812, 2017, pp. 501–524) and Shi & Powers (Phys. Rev. Fluids vol. 2, 2017, 123102) consider related problems which in a common limit (passive, slightly anisotropic) make different predictions regarding how swimming speed depends on alignment angle. In the present paper we find that this discrepancy is due to missing terms in the analysis of Cupples et al., and that when these terms are correctly included, the models agree in their common limit. We further explore the predictions of the corrected model for both passive and active cases; it is found that for certain combinations of alignment angle and activity parameter, propulsion is halted; in other cases the small amplitude asymptotic expansion is no longer valid, motivating future numerical study.

scholarly journals Mucosal Immunity in HIV/SIV Infection: T Cells, B Cells and Beyond

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara L. Shacklett
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Mucosal Immunity ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Multiparameter Flow Cytometry ◽  
Mucosal Tissues ◽  
New Information ◽  
Innate Lymphocytes ◽  
Hiv 1

As our understanding of mucosal immunity increases, it is becoming clear that the host response to HIV-1 is more complex and nuanced than originally believed. The mucosal landscape is populated with a variety of specialized cell types whose functions include combating infectious agents while preserving commensal microbiota, maintaining barrier integrity, and ensuring immune homeostasis. Advances in multiparameter flow cytometry, gene expression analysis and bioinformatics have allowed more detailed characterization of these cell types and their roles in host defense than was previously possible. This review provides an overview of existing literature on immunity to HIV-1 and SIVmac in mucosal tissues of the female reproductive tract and the gastrointestinal tract, focusing on major effector cell populations and briefly summarizing new information on tissue-resident memory T cells, Treg, Th17, Th22 and innate lymphocytes (ILC), subsets that have been studied primarily in the gastrointestinal mucosa.

scholarly journals A Dedifferentiation Strategy to Enhance the Osteogenic Potential of Dental Derived Stem Cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Paduano ◽  
Elisabetta Aiello ◽  
Paul Roy Cooper ◽  
Benedetta Marrelli ◽  
Irina Makeeva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Osteogenic Differentiation ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Osteogenic Potential ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Dental Tissues ◽  
Numerous Cell ◽  
First Time

Dental stem cells (DSCs) holds the ability to differentiate into numerous cell types. This property makes these cells particularly appropriate for therapeutic use in regenerative medicine. We report evidence that when DSCs undergo osteogenic differentiation, the osteoblast-like cells can be reverted back to a stem-like state and then further differentiated toward the osteogenic phenotype again, without gene manipulation. We have investigated two different MSCs types, both from dental tissues: dental follicle progenitor stem cells (DFPCs) and dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). After osteogenic differentiation, both DFPCs and DPSCs can be reverted to a naïve stem cell-like status; importantly, dedifferentiated DSCs showed a greater potential to further differentiate toward the osteogenic phenotype. Our report aims to demonstrate for the first time that it is possible, under physiological conditions, to control the dedifferentiation of DSCs and that the rerouting of cell fate could potentially be used to enhance their osteogenic therapeutic potential. Significantly, this study first validates the use of dedifferentiated DSCs as an alternative source for bone tissue engineering.

scholarly journals Single Cell atlas of uterine myometrium and leiomyomas reveals diverse and novel cell types of non-monoclonal origin

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyoti Goad ◽  
Joshua Rudolph ◽  
Jian-Jun Wei ◽  
Serdar E Bulun ◽  
Debabrata Chakravarti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Lymphatic Endothelial Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Uterine Leiomyomas ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Excessive Bleeding ◽  
Matrix Accumulation ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractUterine leiomyomas are the most common tumors of the female reproductive tract with significant morbidity that includes excessive bleeding, infertility and pregnancy complications. The origin and cellular composition of leiomyomas is controversial, yet very important in better understanding the pathogenesis of these tumors. We applied single-cell RNA sequencing to better understand cellular heterogeneity of uterine leiomyomas and normal myometrium at the molecular level. Our data reveal previously unknown heterogeneity in the smooth muscle cells, fibroblast cells, and endothelial cells of normal myometrium and leiomyomas. We discovered a novel lymphatic endothelial cell population in uterine leiomyomas and that the immune as well as transcriptional profile of leiomyomas is MED12 genotype-dependent. Moreover, we show that leiomyoma cell moiety is not monoclonal in nature. Our work describes unprecedented single cell resolution of normal uterine myometrium and leiomyoma tumors and provides insight into tumor specific hormone responsiveness and extracellular matrix accumulation.

Simvastatin inhibits Wnt/β-catenin pathway in uterine leiomyoma

Endocrinology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malak El Sabeh ◽  
Subbroto Kumar Saha ◽  
Sadia Afrin ◽  
Mostafa A Borahay
Keyword(s):  
Uterine Leiomyoma ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Benign Tumors ◽  
Therapeutic Effects

Abstract The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is upregulated in uterine leiomyomas, the most common benign tumors in the female reproductive tract. Simvastatin is an anti-hyperlipidemic drug, and previous in vitro and in vivo reports showed it may have therapeutic effects in treating leiomyomas. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of simvastatin on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in leiomyoma. We treated primary and immortalized human leiomyoma cells with simvastatin and examined its effects using RT-qPCR, Western Blotting, and immunocytochemistry. We also examined the effects using human leiomyoma tissues from an ongoing, randomized controlled trial where women with symptomatic leiomyoma received simvastatin (40mg) or placebo for 3 months prior to their surgery. The results of this study reveal that simvastatin significantly reduced the expression of Wnt4 and its co-receptor LRP5. After simvastatin treatment, levels of total β-catenin and its active form, non-phosphorylated β-catenin, were reduced in both cell types. Additionally, simvastatin reduced the expression of Wnt4 and total β-catenin, as well as non-phosphorylated β-catenin protein expression in response to estrogen and progesterone. Simvastatin also inhibited the expression of c-Myc, a downstream target of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The effect of simvastatin on non-phosphorylated-β-catenin, the key regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, was recapitulated in human leiomyoma tissue. These results suggest that simvastatin may have a beneficial effect on uterine leiomyoma through suppressing the overactive Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

scholarly journals Collective sperm movements in Peromyscus mice are shaped by phylogenetic history and post-copulatory sexual selection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin A. Hook ◽  
W. David Weber ◽  
Heidi S. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Aggregate Size ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Testis Size ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Sperm Migration

AbstractIn some species, sperm form motile, coordinated groups as they migrate through the female reproductive tract. Collective sperm migration is posited to have evolved to improve sperm swimming performance, and thus may be beneficial in a competitive context, but limited evidence supports this theory. Here we investigate sperm aggregation across closely-related species of Peromyscus mice that naturally vary by mating system. We find that phylogenetic history predicts the likelihood that sperm will aggregate but that variation in aggregate size negatively associates with relative testis size, suggesting that sperm competition has a stabilizing effect on this trait. Moreover, we show that sperm aggregation is not kinematically beneficial for all species, and we hypothesize that swimming performance is dependent on the orientation and composition of sperm groups. To test this, we compared sperm from the two sister-species that aggregate most frequently and find that sperm of the species that evolved under intense sperm competition forms aggregates with efficient geometry more frequently than sperm from its monogamous congener. Together, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that sperm aggregation evolved to improve motility in a competitive context; however, when monogamy evolved secondarily, relaxed sexual selection allowed for less efficient strategies to persist.

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