Post-ejaculation thermal stress causes changes to the RNA profile of sperm in an external fertilizer.

ABSTRACT: Sperm cells experience considerable post-ejaculation environmental variation. However, little is known about whether this affects their molecular composition, probably owing to the assumption that sperm are transcriptionally quiescent. Nevertheless, recent evidence shows sperm have distinct RNA profiles that affect fertilization and embryo viability. Moreover, RNAs are expected to be highly sensitive to extracellular changes. One such group of RNAs are heat shock protein (hsp) transcripts, which function in stress responses and are enriched in sperm. Here, we exploit the experimental tractability of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis by exposing paired samples of ejaculated sperm to ambient (19°C) and increased (25°C) temperatures, then measure (i) sperm motility phenotypes, and (

SUBMITTER: Lymbery RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7735278 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature