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The sperm hook as a functional adaptation for migration and self-organized behavior.

Heungjin Ryu | Kibum Nam | Byeong Eun Lee | Yundon Jeong | Seunghun Lee | Jeongmo Kim | Young-Min Hyun | Jae-Ick Kim | Jung-Hoon Park
eLife | 2024

In most murine species, spermatozoa exhibit a falciform apical hook at the head end. The function of the sperm hook is not yet clearly understood. In this study, we investigate the role of the sperm hook in the migration of spermatozoa through the female reproductive tract in Mus musculus (C57BL/6), using a deep tissue imaging custom-built two-photon microscope. Through live reproductive tract imaging, we found evidence indicating that the sperm hook aids in the attachment of spermatozoa to the epithelium and facilitates interactions between spermatozoa and the epithelium during migration in the uterus and oviduct. We also observed synchronized sperm beating, which resulted from the spontaneous unidirectional rearrangement of spermatozoa in the uterus. Based on live imaging of spermatozoa-epithelium interaction dynamics, we propose that the sperm hook plays a crucial role in successful migration through the female reproductive tract by providing anchor-like mechanical support and facilitating interactions between spermatozoa and the female reproductive tract in the house mouse.

Pubmed ID: 39576678

Research resources used in this publication

None found

Antibodies used in this publication

None found

Associated grants

  • Agency: National Research Foundation of Korea,
    Id: 2020R1A6A3A01098226
  • Agency: National Research Foundation of Korea,
    Id: 2019M3E5D2A01063812
  • Agency: National Research Foundation of Korea,
    Id: 2021R1A2C3012903
  • Agency: National Research Foundation of Korea,
    Id: 2021R1A4A1031644
  • Agency: National Research Foundation of Korea,
    Id: RS-2023-00264980
  • Agency: Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea,
    Id: IITP-2023-RS-2023-00259676
  • Agency: National Research Foundation of Korea,
    Id: 2021M3A9G8022960
  • Agency: National Research Foundation of Korea,
    Id: 2022M325E8017907

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Fiji (tool)

RRID:SCR_002285

Software package as distribution of ImageJ and ImageJ2 together with Java, Java3D and plugins organized into coherent menu structure. Used to assist research in life sciences.

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Adobe Photoshop (tool)

RRID:SCR_014199

Software for image processing, analysis, and editing. The software includes features such as touch capabilities, a customizable toolbar, 2D and 3D image merging, and Cloud access and options.

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ScanImage (tool)

RRID:SCR_014307

Open source software application for laser scanning microscopy, electrophysiology, laser scanning photostimulation, and other physiological methods focused on neurobiology. Used to control laser scanning microscopes without need for custom data acquisition hardware. Standard data acquisition boards are used to acquire data and control laser scanning. The tasks of signal integration and image processing are placed on the computer CPU. Multiple versions of ScanImage are available, each with their own features.

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C57BL/6J (tool)

RRID:IMSR_JAX:000664

Mus musculus with name C57BL/6J from IMSR.

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