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Testicular Descent, Sperm Maturation And Capacitation. Lessons From Our Most Distant Relatives, The Monotremes, Russell C. Jones, Heath Ecroyd, Jean-Louis Dacheux, Brett Nixon
Testicular Descent, Sperm Maturation And Capacitation. Lessons From Our Most Distant Relatives, The Monotremes, Russell C. Jones, Heath Ecroyd, Jean-Louis Dacheux, Brett Nixon
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
The present review examines whether monotremes may help to resolve three questions relating to sperm production in mammals: why the testes descend into a scrotum in most mammals, why spermatozoa are infertile when they leave the testes and require a period of maturation in the specific milieu provided by the epididymides, and why ejaculated spermatozoa cannot immediately fertilise an ovum until they undergo capacitation within the female reproductive tract. Comparisons of monotremes with other mammals indicate that there is a need for considerable work on monotremes. It is hypothesised that testicular descent should be related to epididymal differentiation. Spermatozoa and …
Analysis Of The Mechanism By Which Calcium Negatively Regulates The Tyrosine Phosphorylation Cascade Associated With Sperm Capacitation, Mark Baker, Louise Hethrington, Heath W. Ecroyd, Shaun D. Roman, Robert J. Aitken
Analysis Of The Mechanism By Which Calcium Negatively Regulates The Tyrosine Phosphorylation Cascade Associated With Sperm Capacitation, Mark Baker, Louise Hethrington, Heath W. Ecroyd, Shaun D. Roman, Robert J. Aitken
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
The capacitation of mammalian spermatozoa involves the activation of a cAMP-mediated signal transduction pathway that drives tyrosine phosphorylation via mechanisms that are unique to this cell type. Controversy surrounds the impact of extracellular calcium on this process, with positive and negative effects being recorded in independent publications. We clearly demonstrate that the presence of calcium in the external medium decreases tyrosine phosphorylation in both human and mouse spermatozoa. Under these conditions, a rise in intracellular pH was recorded, however, this event was not responsible for the observed changes in phosphotyrosine expression. Rather, the impact of calcium on tyrosine phosphorylation in …
Tyrosine Phosphorylation Of Hsp-90 During Mammalian Sperm Capacitation, Heath W. Ecroyd, Russell C. Jones, Robert J. Aitken
Tyrosine Phosphorylation Of Hsp-90 During Mammalian Sperm Capacitation, Heath W. Ecroyd, Russell C. Jones, Robert J. Aitken
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
The process of sperm capacitation is correlated with activation of a signal transduction pathway leading to protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Whereas phosphotyrosine expression is an essential prerequisite for fertilization, the proteins that are phosphorylated during capacitation have not yet been identified. In the present study, we observed that a major target of this signaling pathway is the molecular chaperone protein, heat shock protein (HSP)-86, a member of the HSP-90 family of HSPs. We used cross-immunoprecipitation experiments to confirm the tyrosine phosphorylation of HSP-86, a process that is not inhibited by the ansamycin antibiotic, geldanamycin. The general significance of these findings was …
Endogenous Redox Activity In Mouse Spermatozoa And Its Role In Regulating The Tyrosine Phosphorylation Events Associated With Sperm Capacitation, Heath W. Ecroyd, Russell C. Jones, Robert J. Aitken
Endogenous Redox Activity In Mouse Spermatozoa And Its Role In Regulating The Tyrosine Phosphorylation Events Associated With Sperm Capacitation, Heath W. Ecroyd, Russell C. Jones, Robert J. Aitken
Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)
We investigated the role of endogenous redox activity in regulating the signal transduction pathway leading to tyrosine phosphorylation in mouse spermatozoa. Endogenous redox activity was monitored using a luminol-peroxidase chemiluminescent probe. Chemiluminescence increased in spermatozoa that were actively undergoing cAMP-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation events associated with capacitation and was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by addition of catalase or diphenylene iodonium, both of which also inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation within the cell at points downstream of cAMP. Excluding bicarbonate from the incubation medium reduced the redox activity of sperm by 80-90% and dramatically reduced tyrosine phosphorylation. This study provides the first evidence …