Capacitation, acrosome function and chromatin structure in stallion sperm.
Abstract: In general, fertility in breeding stallions is lower and more variable than in the other farm animal species, primarily because selection is based on pedigree, looks and/or athletic performance, with little consideration of fertility or fertility potential. Moreover, because the average stallion breeds only a limited number of mares per year and in-field fertility is influenced significantly by non-stallion factors such as management and mare fertility, meaningful fertility data are hard to come-by. Unfortunately, generating usable figures would involve impractically high costs, time and numbers of mares. Instead, a breeding soundness examination (BSE), based on assessments of sperm number, motility and morphological normality and of mating ability, is often carried out with the ostensible aim of identifying animals with the "potential for good fertility". In fact, the BSE generally succeeds only in ruling out those stallions with a very clear reason for sub-fertility, and still fails to identify some seriously sub-fertile animals. Thus, the routine BSE has very limited use as a predictor of subsequent fertility. This paper reviews assays developed for identifying capacitated, acrosome-reacted and DNA-damaged sperm, and assesses their utility for improving our ability to predict a stallion's fertility prior to the onset of his breeding career.
Publication Date: 2005-08-02 PubMed ID: 16054782DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2005.06.017Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research focuses on understanding the fertility potential of stallions through the examination of sperm acrosome function, capacitation and chromatin structure. The current standard method, the breeding soundness examination (BSE), falls short of accurate prediction, and this paper examines new methods centered on sperm biology that may better predict stallion fertility.
Background
- Stallion fertility rates are often lower and less predictable than those of other livestock, mainly due to selective breeding focused on factors other than fertility.
- Accurate fertility data for stallions is difficult to obtain due to the fact that each stallion breeds with a limited number of mares annually and fertility rates depend on a variety of factors, including managerial practices and mare fertility.
- Existing methods to assess fertility potential, like the Breeding Sound Examination (BSE), are usually ineffective, as they only exclude stallions with obvious sub-fertility, and overlook many others with severe fertility issues.
Identification of Fertility-related Factors
- This study evaluates assays designed for identifying sperm capacitation, acrosome reaction and DNA damage in stallion sperm.
- These biological factors associated with sperm have potential to be accurate indicators of a stallion’s fertility and could be used to predict fertility before a stallion actually starts breeding.
Limitations of Current Assessments and the Need for New Methodologies
- The current method for assessing stallion fertility, the BSE, is limited in its capabilities of predicting fertility. It mainly focuses on sperm count, movement, and the maintenance of structural normality, rather than on biological processes crucial to successful breeding.
- More effective methodologies should investigate in-depth the biological function of stallion sperm, in particular, the initiation of capacitation, the process of the acrosome reaction, and the structural integrity of sperm DNA.
Aim of the Research
- The study aims to explore the effectiveness of these new assays in predicting a stallion’s fertility before he starts his breeding career.
- By improving the predictive accuracy of fertility tests, stallion selection for breeding can be made more efficient and cost-effective. This would potentially lead to increased fertility rates and better overall herd health.
Cite This Article
APA
Neild DN, Gadella BM, Agüero A, Stout TA, Colenbrander B.
(2005).
Capacitation, acrosome function and chromatin structure in stallion sperm.
Anim Reprod Sci, 89(1-4), 47-56.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2005.06.017 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Theriogenology, School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
MeSH Terms
- Acrosome / physiology
- Acrosome Reaction
- Animals
- Chromatin / chemistry
- DNA / chemistry
- Female
- Fertility
- Horses
- Male
- Pregnancy
- Sperm Capacitation
- Spermatozoa / ultrastructure
References
This article includes 63 references
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Ruiz-Díaz S, Grande-Pérez S, Arce-López S, Tamargo C, Olegario Hidalgo C, Pérez-Cerezales S. Changes in the Cellular Distribution of Tyrosine Phosphorylation and Its Relationship with the Acrosomal Exocytosis and Plasma Membrane Integrity during In Vitro Capacitation of Frozen/Thawed Bull Spermatozoa. Int J Mol Sci 2020 Apr 15;21(8).
- Zapata-Carmona H, Barón L, Zuñiga LM, Díaz ES, Kong M, Drobnis EZ, Sutovsky P, Morales P. The activation of the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome is regulated by soluble adenyl cyclase/cAMP/protein kinase A pathway and required for human sperm capacitation. Mol Hum Reprod 2019 Oct 28;25(10):587-600.
- Álvarez-Guerrero A, González-Díaz F, Medrano A, Moreno-Mendoza N. In vitro capacitation and acrosome reaction in sperm of the phyllostomid bat Artibeus jamaicensis. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2016 Apr;52(4):454-65.
- Ryu DY, Kim YJ, Lee JS, Rahman MS, Kwon WS, Yoon SJ, Pang MG. Capacitation and acrosome reaction differences of bovine, mouse and porcine spermatozoa in responsiveness to estrogenic compounds. J Anim Sci Technol 2014;56:26.
- Keber R, Rozman D, Horvat S. Sterols in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. J Lipid Res 2013 Jan;54(1):20-33.
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