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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Post-Testicular Sperm Environment And Fertility, Jean-Luc Gatti, Sandrine Castella, Francoise Dacheux, Heath Ecroyd, S Metayer, Veronique Thimon, Jean-Louis Dacheux
Post-Testicular Sperm Environment And Fertility, Jean-Luc Gatti, Sandrine Castella, Francoise Dacheux, Heath Ecroyd, S Metayer, Veronique Thimon, Jean-Louis Dacheux
Heath Ecroyd
When mammalian spermatozoa exit the testis, they show a highly specialized morphology; however, they are not yet able to carry out their task: to fertilize an oocyte. This property, that includes the acquisition of motility and the ability to recognize and to fuse with the oocyte investments, is gained only after a transit through the epididymis during which the spermatozoa from the testis travel to the vas deferens. The exact molecular mechanisms that turn these cells into fertile gametes still remain mysterious, but surface-modifying events occurring in response to the external media are key steps in this process. Our laboratory …
Testicular Descent, Sperm Maturation And Capacitation. Lessons From Our Most Distant Relatives, The Monotremes, Russell Jones, Heath Ecroyd, Jean-Louis Dacheux, Brett Nixon
Testicular Descent, Sperm Maturation And Capacitation. Lessons From Our Most Distant Relatives, The Monotremes, Russell Jones, Heath Ecroyd, Jean-Louis Dacheux, Brett Nixon
Heath Ecroyd
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 …