Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Sperm thermotaxis.

Anat Bahat1, Michael Eisenbach

  • 1Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel.

Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
|May 5, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Mammalian sperm use thermotaxis, movement along temperature gradients, to find the fertilization site. Only sperm that are capacitated, or mature, can sense temperature to navigate towards the egg.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Spliceosome induction is a druggable dependency of RAS-driven senescence and cancer.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Sperm navigation in humans: a concerted action of multiple means.

Communications biology·2025
Same author

Uncommon opsin's retinal isomer is involved in mammalian sperm thermotaxis.

Scientific reports·2024
Same author

CryoEM structures reveal how the bacterial flagellum rotates and switches direction.

Nature microbiology·2024
Same author

Lowering mutant huntingtin by small molecules relieves Huntington's disease symptoms and progression.

EMBO molecular medicine·2024
Same author

Translation regulation of specific mRNAs by RPS26 C-terminal RNA-binding tail integrates energy metabolism and AMPK-mTOR signaling.

Nucleic acids research·2023

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive biology
  • Cellular physiology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Thermotaxis, directed movement along temperature gradients, is a fundamental biological process observed across diverse organisms, from bacteria to human cells.
  • In mammals, sperm thermotaxis is crucial for guiding spermatozoa from cooler storage sites to the warmer environment of the oocyte for fertilization.
  • This temperature-guided navigation is exclusive to capacitated spermatozoa, indicating a mature state required for this sensory function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role and characteristics of thermotaxis in mammalian sperm guidance.
  • To differentiate thermotaxis from chemotaxis as sperm navigation mechanisms.
  • To understand the physiological conditions and origins of temperature gradients guiding sperm.

Main Methods:

  • The study reviews existing literature on thermotaxis and chemotaxis in mammalian sperm.
  • It analyzes the physiological conditions, including temperature changes during ovulation, that facilitate sperm guidance.
  • The abstract implies observational and potentially experimental approaches to study sperm behavior in response to temperature gradients.

Main Results:

  • Thermotaxis is identified as a long-range guidance system for mammalian sperm towards the fertilization site.
  • Only capacitated sperm exhibit thermotactic responsiveness.
  • Thermotaxis is proposed as a complementary mechanism to chemotaxis, which operates at shorter ranges near the oocyte.

Conclusions:

  • Sperm thermotaxis is an essential mechanism for sperm navigation, complementing chemotaxis to ensure capacitated sperm reach the oocyte.
  • The temperature gradient necessary for thermotaxis is established by a drop in temperature at the sperm reservoir site during ovulation.
  • The precise molecular mechanisms underlying sperm thermotaxis remain an area for future investigation.

Related Experiment Videos