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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Medium-throughput Screening Assays for Assessment of Effects on Ca2+-Signaling and Acrosome Reaction in Human Sperm

Medium-throughput Screening Assays for Assessment of Effects on Ca²⁺-Signaling and Acrosome Reaction in Human Sperm

Published on: March 1, 2019

Control of hyperactivation in sperm.

Susan S Suarez¹

¹Department of Biomedical Sciences, T5-002B Veterinary Research Tower, Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. sss7@cornell.edu

Human Reproduction Update

|July 26, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sperm hyperactivation, crucial for fertilization, involves specific flagellar bending. Its precise triggers in human sperm remain unclear, hindering the development of fertility diagnostic tools.

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Medium-throughput Screening Assays for Assessment of Effects on Ca2+-Signaling and Acrosome Reaction in Human Sperm

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Published on: March 1, 2019

Recording Electrical Currents across the Plasma Membrane of Mammalian Sperm Cells

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Using an Extracellular Flux Analyzer to Measure Changes in Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation during Mouse Sperm Capacitation

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Published on: January 22, 2020

Area of Science:

Reproductive Biology
Sperm Motility
Fertilization Mechanisms

Background:

Sperm hyperactivation is essential for successful fertilization, enabling sperm to penetrate the egg's outer layers.
This process involves characteristic high-amplitude, asymmetrical flagellar movements.
Hyperactivation also aids sperm release from storage and movement through female reproductive tract fluids.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current literature on the regulatory mechanisms of sperm hyperactivation.
To identify the physiological factors and signaling pathways involved.

Main Methods:

Literature review of original research on sperm hyperactivation.
Analysis of studies on regulatory mechanisms, including physiological factors and signaling pathways.

Main Results:

Hyperactivation is identified using computer-assisted semen analysis with specific motility parameters.
It is triggered by increased intracellular calcium (Ca2+) via CatSper channels and possibly intracellular stores, requiring elevated pH and ATP.
While linked to capacitation, hyperactivation's trigger pathway can be independent of the acrosome reaction pathway.

Conclusions:

The exact triggers for human sperm hyperactivation are not well understood.
Further research could lead to improved fertility assays for assessing sperm function.