Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T01:25:36.207Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sperm volumetric dynamics during in vitro capacitation process in bovine spermatozoa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2015

M. García-Herreros  and
C. L. V. Leal
M. García-Herreros*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga, Brazil Academic Unit of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (UA-CAREN), Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory, Technical University of Cotopaxi (UTC), Latacunga, Ecuador
C. L. V. Leal
Affiliation:
Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga, Brazil
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that sperm head morphometry can be used as a potential diagnostic tool for detecting biophysical changes associated with sperm viability in bovine spermatozoa. In this study, sperm head morphometry was used to investigate its value as a biophysical marker for detecting volumetric changes in bovine spermatozoa under in vitro capacitating and non-capacitating incubation conditions. To further test this hypotesis, aliquots of pooled, washed bovine sperm were incubated in either Tyrode’s complete medium with heparin (TCMH; a capacitating medium containing Ca2+, NaHCO3 and heparin), Tyrode’s complete medium heparin-free (TCM; a medium containing just Ca2+ and NaHCO3) or Tyrode’s basal medium (TBM; a non-capacitating medium free of Ca2+, NaHCO3 and heparin, used as control). Aliquots of sperm were processed for morphometric analysis at different incubation-time intervals (0, 3 and 6 h at 38°C), and the chlortetracycline assay was used simultaneously to confirm the ability of the sperm to undergo capacitation (B pattern) and the acrosome reaction (AR pattern) status in each medium. After 3 h of incubation under TCMH conditions, a significant increase was observed in the percentage of B and AR patterns and a significant decrease was found in all sperm morphometric parameters (P<0.01). Interestingly, after 6 h of incubation in TCMH, the percentage of B and AR patterns increased drastically over time and marked differences were found in the dimensional and shape parameters, which were significantly smaller compared with TBM or TCM media (P<0.001). Significant correlations were observed between sperm size and AR pattern (r=−0.875, P<0.01). In conclusion, sperm head morphometry can be used as a potential biophysical marker for detecting volumetric changes during capacitation process in bovine spermatozoa.

Keywords

sperm morphometrysperm capacitationacrosome reactionbovine spermatozoabiophysical marker
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 9 , Supplement 6 , June 2015 , pp. 1016 - 1024
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baldi, E, Luconi, M, Bonaccorsi, L, Krausz, C and Forti, G 1996. Human sperm activation during capacitation and acrosome reaction: role of calcium, protein phosphorylation and lipid remodelling pathways. Frontiers in Bioscience 1, 189–205.Google Scholar
Bedford, JM 1983. Significance of the need for sperm capacitation before fertilization in Eutherian mammals. Biology of Reproduction 28, 108–120.Google Scholar
Bergqvist, AS, Ballester, J, Johannisson, A, Lundeheim, N and Rodríguez-Martínez, H 2007. Heparin and dermatan sulphate induced capacitation of frozen-thawed bull spermatozoa measured by merocyanine-540. Zygote 15, 225–232.Google Scholar
Breininger, E, Cetica, PD and Beconi, MT 2010. Capacitation inducers act through diverse intracellular mechanisms in cryopreserved bovine sperm. Theriogenology 74, 1036–1049.Google Scholar
Bucci, D, Galeati, G, Tamanini, C, Vallorani, C, Rodriguez-Gil, JE and Spinaci, M 2012. Effect of sex sorting on CTC staining, actin cytoskeleton and tyrosine phosphorylation in bull and boar spermatozoa. Theriogenology 77, 1206–1216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cross, NL 1998. Role of cholesterol in sperm capacitation. Biology of Reproduction 59, 7–11.Google Scholar
Davis, BK 1981. Timing of fertilization in mammals: sperm cholesterol/phospholipid ratio as a determinant of the capacitation interval. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U S A 78, 7560–7564.Google Scholar
Davis, RO, Gravance, CG and Casey, PJ 1993. Automated morphometric analysis of stallion spermatozoa. American Journal of Veterinary Research 54, 1808–1811.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Lamirande, E, Leclerc, P and Gagnon, C 1997. Capacitation as a regulatory event that primes spermatozoa for the acrosome reaction and fertilization. Molecular Human Reproduction 3, 175–194.Google Scholar
Dravland, E and Joshi, MS 1981. Sperm-coating antigens secreted by the epididymis and seminal vesicle of the rat. Biology of Reproduction 25, 649–658.Google Scholar
Ehrenwald, E, Parks, JE and Foote, RH 1988. Cholesterol efflux from bovine sperm. I. Induction of the acrosome reaction with lysophosphatidylcholine after reducing sperm cholesterol. Gamete Research 20, 145–157.Google Scholar
Gabriele, A, D'Andrea, G, Cordeschi, G, Properzi, G, Giammatteo, M, De Stefano, C, Romano, R, Francavilla, F and Francavilla, S 1998. Carbohydrate binding activity in human spermatozoa: localization, specificity, and involvement in sperm-egg fusion. Molecular Human Reproduction 4, 543–553.Google Scholar
Gadella, BM and Van Gestel, RA 2004. Bicarbonate and its role in mammalian sperm function. Animal Reproduction Science 83, 307–319.Google Scholar
Gadella, BM, Flesch, FM, van Golde, LM and Colenbrander, B 1999. Dynamics in the membrane organization of the mammalian sperm cell and functionality in fertilization. Veterinary Quarterly 21, 142–146.Google Scholar
Gadella, BM, Tsai, PS, Boerke, A and Brewis, IA 2008. Sperm head membrane reorganisation during capacitation. International Journal Developmental Biology 52, 473–480.Google Scholar
García-Herreros, M and Leal, CL 2014a. Comparative study of sperm washing and selection methods after cryopreservation and its influence on sperm subpopulational structure in a bovine model. Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine 60, 338–347.Google Scholar
García-Herreros, M and Leal, CL 2014b. Sperm morphometry: a tool for detecting biophysical changes associated with viability in cryopreserved bovine spermatozoa. Andrologia 46, 820–822.Google Scholar
Garcia-Herreros, M, Aparicio, IM, Baron, FJ, Garcia-Marin, LJ and Gil, MC 2006. Standardization of sample preparation, staining and sampling methods for automated sperm head morphometry analysis of boar spermatozoa. International Journal of Andrology 29, 553–563.Google Scholar
Garcia Herreros, M, Aparicio, IM, Nunez, I, Garcia-Marin, LJ, Gil, MC and Pena Vega, FJ 2005. Boar sperm velocity and motility patterns under capacitating and non-capacitating incubation conditions. Theriogenology 63, 795–805.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garcia-Herreros, M, Baron, FJ, Aparicio, IM, Santos, AJ, Garcia-Marin, LJ and Gil, MC 2008. Morphometric changes in boar spermatozoa induced by cryopreservation. International Journal of Andrology 31, 490–498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garcia-Herreros, M, Carter, TF, Villagómez, DA, Macaulay, AD, Rath, D, King, WA and Lonergan, P 2010. Incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in bovine blastocysts derived from unsorted and sex-sorted spermatozoa. Reproduction Fertility and Development 22, 1272–1278.Google Scholar
Gravance, CG and Davis, RO 1995. Automated sperm morphometry analysis (ASMA) in the rabbit. Journal of Andrology 16, 88–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gravance, CG, Lewis, KM and Casey, PJ 1995. Computer automated sperm head morphometry analysis (ASMA) of goat spermatozoa. Theriogenology 44, 989–1002.Google Scholar
Harrison, RA 1996. Capacitation mechanisms, and the role of capacitation as seen in Eutherian mammals. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 8, 581–594.Google Scholar
Hung, PH and Suarez, SS 2012. Alterations to the bull sperm surface proteins that bind sperm to oviductal epithelium. Biology of Reproduction 88, 1–11.Google Scholar
Marti, JI, Aparicio, IM and Garcia-Herreros, M 2011a. Head morphometric changes in cryopreserved ram spermatozoa are related to sexual maturity. Theriogenology 75, 473–481.Google Scholar
Marti, JI, Aparicio, IM and Garcia-Herreros, M 2011b. Sperm morphometric subpopulations are differentially distributed in rams with different maturity age in cryopreserved ejaculates. Theriogenology 76, 97–109.Google Scholar
Marti, JI, Aparicio, IM, Leal, CL and Garcia-Herreros, M 2012. Seasonal dynamics of sperm morphometric subpopulations and its association with sperm quality parameters in ram ejaculates. Theriogenology 78, 528–541.Google Scholar
Ostermeier, GC, Sargeant, GA, Yandell, TB and Parrish, JJ 2002. Measurement of bovine sperm nuclear shape using Fourier harmonic amplitudes. Journal of Andrology 23, 584–594.Google Scholar
Parrish, JJ, Susko-Parrish, JL and First, NL 1985. Effect of heparin and chondroitin sulfate on the acrosome reaction and fertility of bovine sperm in vitro. Theriogenology 24, 537–549.Google Scholar
Parrish, JJ, Susko-Parrish, J, Winer, M and First, NL 1988. Capacitation of bovine sperm by heparin. Biology of Reproduction 38, 1171–1180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pérez Aguirreburualde, MS, Fernández, S and Córdoba, M 2012. Acrosin activity regulation by protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase in bovine sperm acrosome exocytosis induced by lysophosphatidylcholine. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 47, 915–920.Google Scholar
Pons-Rejraji, H, Bailey, JL and Leclerc, P 2009. Modulation of bovine sperm signalling pathways: correlation between intracellular parameters and sperm capacitation and acrosome exocytosis. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 21, 511–524.Google Scholar
Tannert, A, Töpfer-Petersen, E, Herrmann, A, Müller, K and Müller, P 2007. The lipid composition modulates the influence of the bovine seminal plasma protein PDC-109 on membrane stability. Biochemistry 46, 11621–11629.Google Scholar
Thérien, I, Moreau, R and Manjunath, P 1999. Bovine seminal plasma phospholipid-binding proteins stimulate phospholipid efflux from epididymal sperm. Biology of Reproduction 61, 590–598.Google Scholar
Vadnais, ML, Galantino-Homer, H and Althouse, GC 2007. Current concepts of molecular events during bovine and porcine spermatozoa capacitation. Archives of Andrology 53, 109–123.Google Scholar
Valle, RR, Nayudu, PL, Leal, CL and Garcia-Herreros, M 2012. Sperm head morphometry in ejaculates of adult marmosets (Callithrix jacchus): a model for studying sperm subpopulations and among-donor variations. Theriogenology 78, 1152–1165.Google Scholar
Valle, RR, Arakaki, PR, Carvalho, FM, Muniz, JA, Leal, CL and Garcia-Herreros, M 2013. Identification of sperm head subpopulations with defined pleiomorphic characteristics in ejaculates of captive Goeldi’s monkeys (Callimico goeldii). Animal Reproduction Science 137, 93–102.Google Scholar
Witte, TS and Schäfer-Somi, S 2007. Involvement of cholesterol, calcium and progesterone in the induction of capacitation and acrosome reaction of mammalian spermatozoa. Animal Reproduction Science 102, 181–193.Google Scholar
Wolfe, CA, James, PS, Mackie, AR, Ladha, S and Jones, R 1998. Regionalized lipid diffusion in the plasma membrane of mammalian spermatozoa. Biology of Reproduction 59, 1506–1514.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

García-Herreros and Leal supplementary material

Figures S1-S2

Download García-Herreros and Leal supplementary material(File)
File 2.9 MB