Ca2+ bursts occur around a local minimal concentration of attractant and trigger sperm chemotactic response.

ABSTRACT: Ca(2+) is known to have important roles in sperm chemotaxis, although the relationship between intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and modulation of the swimming and chemotactic behavior of spermatozoa has not been elucidated. Using a high-speed Ca(2+) imaging system, we examined the chemotactic behavior and [Ca(2+)](i) in individual ascidian sperm cells exhibiting chemotactic responses toward sperm activating and attracting factor (SAAF), a chemoattractant released by eggs. In this study, we found that transient [Ca(2+)](i) increased in the flagellum (Ca(2+) bursts) concomitantly with a change in the swimming direction in an SAAF gradient field. During the initial phase of the Ca(2+) bursts, the flagellum of the spermatozoon exhibited highly asymmetric waveforms enabling the

SUBMITTER: Shiba K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2614758 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature