Chemotaxis of sperm cells
TL;DR: It is concluded that sampling a concentration field of chemoattractant along circular and helical swimming paths is a robust strategy for chemotaxis that works reliably for a vast range of parameters.
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Abstract: We develop a theoretical description of sperm chemotaxis. Sperm cells of many species are guided to the egg by chemoattractants, a process called chemotaxis. Motor proteins in the flagellum of the sperm generate a regular beat of the flagellum, which propels the sperm in a fluid. In the absence of a chemoattractant, sperm swim in circles in two dimensions and along helical paths in three dimensions. Chemoattractants stimulate a signaling system in the flagellum, which regulates the motors to control sperm swimming. Our theoretical description of sperm chemotaxis in two and three dimensions is based on a generic signaling module that regulates the curvature and torsion of the swimming path. In the presence of a chemoattractant, swimming paths are drifting circles in two dimensions and deformed helices in three dimensions. The swimming paths can be described by a dynamical system that exhibits different dynamic regimes, which correspond to different chemotactic behaviours. We conclude that sampling a concentration field of chemoattractant along circular and helical swimming paths is a robust strategy for chemotaxis that works reliably for a vast range of parameters.
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References
Sperm motility in the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus L: II. Partial characterization of a motility initiating factor from eggs and the effects of inorganic cations on motility initiation
David L. Clapper,George G. Brown +1 more
TL;DR: Qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis of SMI extracts revealed the presence of four divalent cations and one monovalent cation that affect sperm motility, and if inorganic cations are involved in normal sperm Motility initiation in Limulus, they are acting in conjunction with some other low molecular weight factor.
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Chemotaxis of bracken spermatozoids
TL;DR: In this article, a linear relationship between turning rate and the component of the gradient perpendicular to the direction of swimming was found to be the ratio of the magnitudes of the two types of gradient required to produce an equal tactic response.
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Towards understanding the molecular mechanism of sperm chemotaxis.
TL;DR: The awareness that, in most animal species, the prospects of the male's spermatozoa to reach the female's eggs are very slim in the absence of some guidance mechanism has been acquired gradually, in marine species, where both types of gametes are released into sea.
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Strategies for Sperm Chemotaxis in the Siphonophores and Ascidians: A Numerical Simulation Study
TL;DR: Two models of chemotaxis, one in the siphonophores and the second in the ascidians, are proposed based on experimental data and the properties of these strategies and future problems are discussed in relation to these models.
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