The fertilizing ability of human epididymal sperm

During the conservation of feline semen, the freeze–thaw procedure in particular is responsible for inducing severe spermatozoal damage, which diminishes fertilizing ability. Therefore, cold-induced damage represents a limiting factor for the conservation of semen, particularly semen from felids, which are often affected by teratospermia. In this article, feline sperm characteristics are reported, with special reference to motility and morphology, which are more likely to be affected by conservation protocols; and moreover, the causes of cold-induced damages are described. Attention has been focused on methods to evaluate functional integrity of spermatozoa, and those applied to cat semen are reviewed. Among these, a rather recently developed technique involves fluorescent staining methods, and in particular chlortetracycline. The chlortetracycline assay applied to cryopreserved cat epididymal sperm shows that it is suitable to evaluate the functional status of cat sperm.

Download Full-text

Andrology: Evaluation of motility, fertilizing ability and embryonic development of murine epididymal sperm after coculture with epididymal epithelium

Human Reproduction ◽

10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a019418 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1451-1456 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

A. Bongso ◽

A. Trounson

Keyword(s):

Embryonic Development ◽

Epididymal Sperm ◽

Fertilizing Ability

Download Full-text

Gestational and Lactational Exposure of Male Mice to Diethylstilbestrol Causes Long-Term Effects on the Testis, Sperm Fertilizing Ability in Vitro, and Testicular Gene Expression

Endocrinology ◽

10.1210/endo.143.8.8968 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 143 (8) ◽

pp. 3044-3059 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Mark R. Fielden ◽

Robert G. Halgren ◽

Cora J. Fong ◽

Christophe Staub ◽

Larry Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Sperm Count ◽

Testicular Development ◽

High Dose ◽

Epididymal Sperm ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Lactational Exposure ◽

Fertilizing Ability

Abstract The objective of the study was to determine the long-term effects of gestational and lactational exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES; 0, 0.1, 1, and 10 μg/kg maternal body weight) on mouse testicular growth, epididymal sperm count, in vitro fertilizing ability, and testicular gene expression using cDNA microarrays and real-time PCR in mice on postnatal day (PND) 21, 105, and 315. In the high dose group there was a persistent decrease in the number of Sertoli cells, and sperm count was decreased on PND315 (P < 0.05). Sperm motion was unaffected; however, the in vitro fertilizing ability of epididymal sperm was decreased in the high dose group on both PND105 (P < 0.001) and PND315 (P < 0.05). Early and latent alterations in the expression of genes involved in estrogen signaling (estrogen receptor α), steroidogenesis (steroidogenic factor 1, 17α-hydroxylase/C17,20-lyase, P450 side chain cleavage, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, and scavenger receptor class B1), lysosomal function (LGP85 and prosaposin), and regulation of testicular development (testicular receptor 2, inhibin/activin β C, and Hoxa10) were confirmed by real-time PCR. The results demonstrate that early exposure to DES causes long-term adverse effects on testicular development and sperm function, and these effects are associated with changes in testicular gene expression, even long after the cessation of DES exposure.

Download Full-text

Maturation-dependent glycoproteins containing both N- and O-linked oligosaccharides in epididymal sperm plasma membrane of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

J Reprod Fertil ◽

10.1530/reprod/119.2.241 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 119 (2) ◽

pp. 241-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

A Srivastav

Keyword(s):

Plasma Membrane ◽

Macaca Mulatta ◽

Rhesus Monkeys ◽

Epididymal Sperm ◽

Sperm Plasma Membrane

Download Full-text

Deficiency for Lcn8 causes epididymal sperm maturation defects in mice

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications ◽

10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.02.052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 548 ◽

pp. 7-13

Author(s):

Zongzhuang Wen ◽

Dongyue Liu ◽

Haixia Zhu ◽

Xiaoyang Sun ◽

Yu Xiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sperm Maturation ◽

Epididymal Sperm

Download Full-text

Insights into the Mechanism of Bovine Spermiogenesis Based on Comparative Transcriptomic Studies

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11010080 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 80

Author(s):

Xin Li ◽

Chenying Duan ◽

Ruyi Li ◽

Dong Wang

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Semen Quality ◽

Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽

Physiological Mechanism ◽

Interaction Network ◽

Seminiferous Tubules ◽

Differential Analysis ◽

Epididymal Sperm ◽

Bioinformatics Analyses ◽

Acrosome Formation

To reduce subfertility caused by low semen quality and provide theoretical guidance for the eradication of human male infertility, we sequenced the bovine transcriptomes of round, elongated spermatids and epididymal sperms. The differential analysis was carried out with the reference of the mouse transcriptome, and the homology trends of gene expression to the mouse were also analysed. First, to explore the physiological mechanism of spermiogenesis that profoundly affects semen quality, homological trends of differential genes were compared during spermiogenesis in dairy cattle and mice. Next, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment, protein–protein interaction network (PPI network), and bioinformatics analyses were performed to uncover the regulation network of acrosome formation during the transition from round to elongated spermatids. In addition, processes that regulate gene expression during spermiogenesis from elongated spermatid to epididymal sperm, such as ubiquitination, acetylation, deacetylation, and glycosylation, and the functional ART3 gene may play important roles during spermiogenesis. Therefore, its localisation in the seminiferous tubules and epididymal sperm were investigated using immunofluorescent analysis, and its structure and function were also predicted. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the process of spermiogenesis, which involves acrosome formation, histone replacement, and the fine regulation of gene expression.

Download Full-text