by John C. Martin
Article Date: 03-24-06
In a study that could shed new light on some of the causes of male infertility, researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have uncovered new information about the mechanisms underlying sperm motility, or movement ability.1
Tail-Snapping Mechanism
The scientists described a key component discovered in their study that sperm use to abruptly convert their tail motion from a steady swimming movement to a whip-cracking snap that thrusts them into an egg during the fertilization process, known as hyperactivation.
Additionally, they reported on a special technique they used to peer into the electrical currents inside the sperm cell that could help uncover information about its mysterious inner workings.
It’s long been known by scientists that the alkaline environment of the female reproductive tract triggers sperm’s whip-like motion, said David Clapham, MD, PhD, the study’s lead investigator. In earlier studies, Clapham and his colleagues showed that a protein found only in the sperm tail was required for male fertility. This earlier study in conjunction with researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Texas Southwestern also found that this special protein was necessary for hyperactivation to occur, as well
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