Behavioral mechanisms of mammalian sperm guidance

Abstract

In mammals, sperm guidance in the oviduct appears essential for successful sperm arrival at the oocyte. Hitherto, three different potential sperm guidance mechanisms have been recognized: thermotaxis, rheotaxis, and chemotaxis, each of them using specific stimuli - a temperature gradient, fluid flow, and a chemoattractant gradient, respectively. Here, we review sperm behavioral in these mechanisms and indicate commonalities and differences between them.

Keywords

• gene regulation
• Musashi
• Musashi-1
• Musashi-2
• posttranscriptional control
• RNA binding proteins
• spermatogenesis
• splicing
• testis
• translation
• cell fate
• cell stress
• importin
• karyopherin
• nucleocytoplasmic transport
• spermatid
• spermatocyte
• spermatogenesis
• artificial insemination
• biomarker
• fertility
• fertilization
• flow cytometry
• infertility
• nanotechnology
• oocyte activation
• Postacrosomal Sheath WWI Domain Binding Protein
• sperm
• SPTRX3
• thioredoxin
• ubiquitin
• ATP binding cassette transporters
• albumin
• high-density lipoprotein
• lipid rafts
• membrane fluidity
• membrane microdomains
• membrane packing
• oxysterols
• reverse cholesterol transport
• sterol transporters
• egg
• fertilization
• heat shock protein A2
• molecular chaperone
• sperm
• sperm-egg interactions
• dehydrogenases
• oxidases
• peroxiredoxins
• reactive oxygen species
• spermatozoa
• thiols
• thioredoxins
• antigen-presenting cells
• autoimmunity
• dendritic cells
• epididymis
• macrophages
• peripheral tolerance
• sperm maturation
• spermatozoa
• genomics
• male infertility
• proteomics
• sperm chromatin
• sperm epigenetics
• sperm DNA damage
• paternal genome
• offspring
• infertility
• chemotaxis
• rheotaxis
• sperm behavior
• sperm motility
• thermotaxis