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Soto-Heras S, Sakkas D, Miller DJ. Sperm selection by the oviduct: perspectives for male fertility and assisted reproductive technologies†. Biol Reprod 2023; 108:538-552. [PMID: 36625382 PMCID: PMC10106845 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioac224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The contribution of sperm to embryogenesis is gaining attention with up to 50% of infertility cases being attributed to a paternal factor. The traditional methods used in assisted reproductive technologies for selecting and assessing sperm quality are mainly based on motility and viability parameters. However, other sperm characteristics, including deoxyribonucleic acid integrity, have major consequences for successful live birth. In natural reproduction, sperm navigate the male and female reproductive tract to reach and fertilize the egg. During transport, sperm encounter many obstacles that dramatically reduce the number arriving at the fertilization site. In humans, the number of sperm is reduced from tens of millions in the ejaculate to hundreds in the Fallopian tube (oviduct). Whether this sperm population has higher fertilization potential is not fully understood, but several studies in animals indicate that many defective sperm do not advance to the site of fertilization. Moreover, the oviduct plays a key role in fertility by modulating sperm transport, viability, and maturation, providing sperm that are ready to fertilize at the appropriate time. Here we present evidence of sperm selection by the oviduct with emphasis on the mechanisms of selection and the sperm characteristics selected. Considering the sperm parameters that are essential for healthy embryonic development, we discuss the use of novel in vitro sperm selection methods that mimic physiological conditions. We propose that insight gained from understanding how the oviduct selects sperm can be translated to assisted reproductive technologies to yield high fertilization, embryonic development, and pregnancy rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Soto-Heras
- Department of Animal Sciences and Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | | | - David J Miller
- Department of Animal Sciences and Institute of Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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Mahé C, Zlotkowska AM, Reynaud K, Tsikis G, Mermillod P, Druart X, Schoen J, Saint-Dizier M. Sperm migration, selection, survival, and fertilizing ability in the mammalian oviduct†. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:317-331. [PMID: 34057175 PMCID: PMC8335357 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In vitro fertilization (IVF) gives rise to embryos in a number of mammalian species and is currently widely used for assisted reproduction in humans and for genetic purposes in cattle. However, the rate of polyspermy is generally higher in vitro than in vivo and IVF remains ineffective in some domestic species like pigs and horses, highlighting the importance of the female reproductive tract for gamete quality and fertilization. In this review, the way the female environment modulates sperm selective migration, survival, and acquisition of fertilizing ability in the oviduct is being considered under six aspects: (1) the utero-tubal junction that selects a sperm sub-population entering the oviduct; (2) the presence of sperm binding sites on luminal epithelial cells in the oviduct, which prolong sperm viability and plays a role in limiting polyspermic fertilization; (3) the contractions of the oviduct, which promote sperm migration toward the site of fertilization in the ampulla; (4) the regions of the oviduct, which play different roles in regulating sperm physiology and interactions with oviduct epithelial cells; (5) the time of ovulation, and (6) the steroid hormonal environment which regulates sperm release from the luminal epithelial cells and facilitates capacitation in a finely orchestrated manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coline Mahé
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
| | | | - Karine Reynaud
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
| | | | | | - Xavier Druart
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
| | - Jennifer Schoen
- Institute of Reproductive Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, FBN, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Marie Saint-Dizier
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France.,Tours University, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Agrosciences Department, Tours, France
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New Insights into the Mammalian Egg Zona Pellucida. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22063276. [PMID: 33806989 PMCID: PMC8005149 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian oocytes are surrounded by an extracellular coat called the zona pellucida (ZP), which, from an evolutionary point of view, is the most ancient of the coats that envelope vertebrate oocytes and conceptuses. This matrix separates the oocyte from cumulus cells and is responsible for species-specific recognition between gametes, preventing polyspermy and protecting the preimplantation embryo. The ZP is a dynamic structure that shows different properties before and after fertilization. Until very recently, mammalian ZP was believed to be composed of only three glycoproteins, ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3, as first described in mouse. However, studies have revealed that this composition is not necessarily applicable to other mammals. Such differences can be explained by an analysis of the molecular evolution of the ZP gene family, during which ZP genes have suffered pseudogenization and duplication events that have resulted in differing models of ZP protein composition. The many discoveries made in recent years related to ZP composition and evolution suggest that a compilation would be useful. Moreover, this review analyses ZP biosynthesis, the role of each ZP protein in different mammalian species and how these proteins may interact among themselves and with other proteins present in the oviductal lumen.
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Luongo C, González-Brusi L, Cots-Rodríguez P, Izquierdo-Rico MJ, Avilés M, García-Vázquez FA. Sperm Proteome after Interaction with Reproductive Fluids in Porcine: From the Ejaculation to the Fertilization Site. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176060. [PMID: 32842715 PMCID: PMC7570189 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ejaculated sperm are exposed to different environments before encountering the oocyte. However, how the sperm proteome changes during this transit remains unsolved. This study aimed to identify proteomic changes in boar sperm after incubation with male (seminal plasma, SP) and/or female (uterine fluid, UF; and oviductal fluid, OF) reproductive fluids. The following experimental groups were analyzed: (1) SP: sperm + 20% SP; (2) UF: sperm + 20% UF; (3) OF: sperm + 20% OF; (4) SP + UF: sperm + 20% SP + 20% UF; and (5) SP+OF: sperm + 20% SP + 20% OF. The proteome analysis, performed by HPLC-MS/MS, allowed the identification of 265 proteins. A total of 69 proteins were detected in the UF, SP, and SP + UF groups, and 102 proteins in the OF, SP, and SP + OF groups. Our results showed a higher number of proteins when sperm were incubated with only one fluid than when they were co-incubated with two fluids. Additionally, the number of sperm-interacting proteins from the UF group was lower than the OF group. In conclusion, the interaction of sperm with reproductive fluids alters its proteome. The description of sperm-interacting proteins in porcine species after co-incubation with male and/or female reproductive fluids may be useful to understand sperm transport, selection, capacitation, or fertilization phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Luongo
- Department of Physiology, Veterinary School, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (Campus Mare Nostrum), University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain;
| | - Leopoldo González-Brusi
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (L.G.-B.); (P.C.-R.); (M.J.I.-R.)
| | - Paula Cots-Rodríguez
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (L.G.-B.); (P.C.-R.); (M.J.I.-R.)
| | - Mª José Izquierdo-Rico
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (L.G.-B.); (P.C.-R.); (M.J.I.-R.)
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Manuel Avilés
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (L.G.-B.); (P.C.-R.); (M.J.I.-R.)
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (F.A.G.-V.)
| | - Francisco Alberto García-Vázquez
- Department of Physiology, Veterinary School, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (Campus Mare Nostrum), University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain;
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (F.A.G.-V.)
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