title: Evaluation of sperm subpopulation structure in relation to in vitro sperm-oocyte interaction of frozen-thawed semen from Holstein bulls.
abstract: The present study examined the relationship between the relative amount of high motile sperm and sperm-oocyte interactions obtained from Holstein bull ejaculates. Post-thaw sperm motility was analyzed using a computer-assisted sperm analyzer system and evaluated to determine the sperm motility subpopulations. Adhesion and penetration of zona pellucida (ZP) and pronucleus formation using post-thawed samples (15 ejaculates form 5 different bulls) with different percentages of sperm in the subpopulation with the fastest and most progressive subpopulation (subpopulation 4 [SP4]) were analyzed. The correlation between the proportion of sperm in SP4 and the number of spermatozoa bound to the zona pellucida (ZBA), the penetration rate, and the rate of pronucleus formation were calculated. A significant (P < 0.05) and positive correlation was found between the number of spermatozoa bound to the zona pellucida, the penetration rate, and the rate of pronucleus formation with the proportion of sperm in SP4 (r = 0.79, r = 0.66, and r = 0.63, respectively). Our results suggest that this specific high motile and progressive subpopulation is positively and significantly correlated with the ability of a thawed bull semen sample to interact properly with the oocyte and its extracellular vestments. These findings emphasize the relevance of analyzing semen subpopulation composition to predict bull sperm fertilizing ability and to select Holstein bulls for breeding purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M A M M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ferraz
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Campus de Montilivi, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morató
authors.affiliation: Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yeste
authors.affiliation: Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arcarons
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Animal, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Pena
authors.affiliation: Área de Selección y Reproducción Animal, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario, Gijón, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamargo
authors.affiliation: Área de Selección y Reproducción Animal, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario, Gijón, Spain.
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patologia Animal, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muiño
authors.affiliation: Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain. Electronic address: teresa.mogas@uab.cat.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mogas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding / Q000379:methods; D002417:Cattle; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000662:veterinary; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Computer-assisted sperm motility analysis; In vitro fertilization; Pronucleus formation; Zona pellucida binding; Zona penetration