Rotational motion and rheotaxis of human sperm do not require functional CatSper channels and transmembrane Ca²⁺ signaling.

ABSTRACT: Navigation of sperm in fluid flow, called rheotaxis, provides long-range guidance in the mammalian oviduct. The rotation of sperm around their longitudinal axis (rolling) promotes rheotaxis. Whether sperm rolling and rheotaxis require calcium (Ca²⁺ ) influx via the sperm-specific Ca²⁺ channel CatSper, or rather represent passive biomechanical and hydrodynamic processes, has remained controversial. Here, we study the swimming behavior of sperm from healthy donors and from infertile patients that lack functional CatSper channels, using dark-field microscopy, optical tweezers, and microfluidics. We demonstrate that rolling and rheotaxis persist in CatSper-deficient human sperm. Furthermore, human sperm undergo rolling and rheotaxis even when Ca²⁺ influx is pre

SUBMITTER: Schiffer C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7024840 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature