title: A role for cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in the capacitation of mammalian sperm.
abstract: In their transit through the female genital tract, mammalian sperm acquire the ability to fertilize the egg in a process called capacitation. During this event the intracellular levels of cAMP and cGMP increase, suggesting that cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels, which have been identified in mammalian sperm, play a functional role in their physiology. Here we report an electrophysiological characterization of the effect of cyclic nucleotides on mouse sperm. Using the patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration, we show that macroscopic ionic currents are augmented by the addition of both, 8Br-cAMP and 8Br-cGMP to non-capacitated mouse sperm. Although cyclic nucleotide regulates the activity of CNG channels, disparate effects of cyclic nucleotides may also occur. Addition of L-cis-diltiazem (50 microM), a specific inhibitor of CNG channels, partially blocked currents elicited by cGMP, suggesting that CNG channels play a role in the fertilization capability of mammalian sperm.
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, México.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cisneros-Mejorado
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sánchez
mesh_terms: D015124:8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D054815:Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Cation Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D054815:Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Cation Channels; D015124:8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate; C016276:8-bromocyclic GMP; D006152:Cyclic GMP