Vol. 11, Special Issue 6 (2022)

Author(s):
Jayashree Gogoi, Mohan Mondal, Prasanna Pal, VR Upadhyay, Piyali Kuri, Indranil Mukherjee and Sachin Tripura

Abstract:
Sperm ion channels play a key role in animal fertility. For successful fertilization, sperm motility, chemotaxis, capacitation and the acrosome reaction are few of the important attributes contribute significantly towards bull fertility. Elevation of sperm intracellular pHandCa²⁺are vital for these key events in the fertilization process. Sperm ion channels such as catsper, help in regulating the Ca²⁺ entry, and proton channels such as hv1 is the main proton extrusion pathway that maintain the sperm intracellular ph. Ion channels are deeply involved in the interaction between sperm, environmental cues and the egg. Study of ion channels in sperm promises to open a new horizon for identification of factors determining sperm fertility and causes of infertility. Understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the ion channels regulating sperm motility would pave the way to identify novel targets for treating bovine infertility.