Presence and function of dopamine transporter (DAT) in stallion sperm: dopamine modulates sperm motility and acrosomal integrity.

ABSTRACT: Dopamine is a catecholamine with multiple physiological functions, playing a key role in nervous system; however its participation in reproductive processes and sperm physiology is controversial. High dopamine concentrations have been reported in different portions of the feminine and masculine reproductive tract, although the role fulfilled by this catecholamine in reproductive physiology is as yet unknown. We have previously shown that dopamine type 2 receptor is functional in boar sperm, suggesting that dopamine acts as a physiological modulator of sperm viability, capacitation and motility. In the present study, using immunodetection methods, we revealed the presence of several proteins important for the dopamine uptake and signalling in mammalian sperm, specifically monoamine transpor

SUBMITTER: Urra JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4234536 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature