Post-copulatory genetic matchmaking: HLA-dependent effects of cervical mucus on human sperm function.

ABSTRACT: Several studies have demonstrated that women show pre-copulatory mating preferences for human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-dissimilar men. A fascinating, yet unexplored, possibility is that the ultimate mating bias towards HLA-dissimilar partners could occur after copulation, at the gamete level. Here, we explored this possibility by investigating whether the selection towards HLA-dissimilar partners occurs in the cervical mucus. After combining sperm and cervical mucus from multiple males and females (full factorial design), we found that sperm performance (swimming velocity, hyperactivation, and viability) was strongly influenced by the male-female combination. This indicates that sperm fertilization capability may be dependent on the compatibility between cervical mucus (female) and sperm (m

SUBMITTER: Jokiniemi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7482290 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature