{"title":"Collective sperm movement in mammalian reproductive tracts.","authors":"Tsuyoshi Hirashima, Sound W P, Taichi Noda","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.12.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mammalian sperm cells travel from their origin in the male reproductive tract to fertilization in the female tract through a complex process driven by coordinated mechanical and biochemical mechanisms. Recent experimental and theoretical advances have illuminated the collective behaviors of sperm both in vivo and in vitro. However, our understanding of the underlying mechano-chemical processes remains incomplete. This review integrates current insights into sperm group movement, examining both immotile and motile states, which are essential for passive transport and active swimming through the reproductive tracts. We provide an overview of the current understanding of collective sperm movement, focusing on the experimental and theoretical mechanisms behind these behaviors. We also explore how sperm motility is regulated through the coordination of mechanical and chemical processes. Emerging evidence highlights the mechanosensitive properties of a sperm flagellum, suggesting that mechanical stimuli regulate flagellar beating at both individual and collective levels. This self-regulatory, mechano-chemical system reflects a broader principle observed in multicellular systems, offering a system-level insight into the regulation of motility and collective dynamics in biological systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"166 ","pages":"13-21"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.12.002","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CELL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Mammalian sperm cells travel from their origin in the male reproductive tract to fertilization in the female tract through a complex process driven by coordinated mechanical and biochemical mechanisms. Recent experimental and theoretical advances have illuminated the collective behaviors of sperm both in vivo and in vitro. However, our understanding of the underlying mechano-chemical processes remains incomplete. This review integrates current insights into sperm group movement, examining both immotile and motile states, which are essential for passive transport and active swimming through the reproductive tracts. We provide an overview of the current understanding of collective sperm movement, focusing on the experimental and theoretical mechanisms behind these behaviors. We also explore how sperm motility is regulated through the coordination of mechanical and chemical processes. Emerging evidence highlights the mechanosensitive properties of a sperm flagellum, suggesting that mechanical stimuli regulate flagellar beating at both individual and collective levels. This self-regulatory, mechano-chemical system reflects a broader principle observed in multicellular systems, offering a system-level insight into the regulation of motility and collective dynamics in biological systems.
期刊介绍:
Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology is a review journal dedicated to keeping scientists informed of developments in the field of molecular cell and developmental biology, on a topic by topic basis. Each issue is thematic in approach, devoted to an important topic of interest to cell and developmental biologists, focusing on the latest advances and their specific implications.
The aim of each issue is to provide a coordinated, readable, and lively review of a selected area, published rapidly to ensure currency.