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Sperm's quick calcium response

The direction of sperm tail movement (red to black to blue) changes with a sharp pulse of Ca2+ (top).

Some free-swimming sperm detect the presence of an egg through chemotactic signals and respond by altering their swimming trajectory. On page 725, Wood et al. show that intact sea urchin sperm respond not to overall increases in intracellular Ca²⁺ levels, as previously thought, but to rapid changes in Ca²⁺ concentration. Ca²⁺ entry into the flagella is biphasic, with a fast and slow phase, but only the initial fast influx affects sperm trajectory.

Studies on demembranated sperm indicated that the cells change direction by asymmetrical bending of their flagella in response to overall Ca²⁺ increases and that cGMP signaling was involved. But until now scientists didn't have the tools to watch the process in real time in intact cells.

Using a novel fast strobe lighting system for fluorescence microscopy, which they devised, Wood et al. attempted to stimulate chemotaxis by releasing caged cGMP in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus sperm cells loaded with a fluorescent Ca²⁺ indicator. As predicted, Ca²⁺ levels immediately increased in both the head and the flagella. However, the flagella showed a short rapid burst of Ca²⁺ influx followed by a longer slower uptake. Ca²⁺ increases induced transient bending in the flagella. Repeated stimuli induced repeated direction changes, even if the overall Ca²⁺ concentration was already above baseline levels.

Nimodipine, which is used to block voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels, blocked the initial fast influx into the flagella, suggesting that such channels mediate the fast uptake, but did not affect the slow portion of the Ca²⁺ uptake. In the presence of nimodipine, the sperm did not alter their swimming direction, even though the intracellular Ca²⁺ increased.

The fact that a slow rise in Ca²⁺ was not sufficient to induce flagellar bending leads the team to suggest two possibilities. Either there is a Ca²⁺ sensor that detects only a rapid flux in concentration, or the sensor is located so close to the nimodipine-sensitive channel that it only responds to Ca²⁺ coming in via this port.

Rabiya S. Tuma

rabiya{at}nasw.org

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Real-time analysis of the role of Ca²⁺ in flagellar movement and motility in single sea urchin sperm

Christopher D. Wood, Takuya Nishigaki, Toshiaki Furuta, Shoji A. Baba, and Alberto Darszon
J. Cell Biol. 2005 169: 725-731. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article Full Text (PDF, 369K) PPT slides of all figures Alert me when this article is cited Services Email this article Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new content in the JCB Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tuma, R. S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Tuma, R. S. Related Collections Related Article Social Bookmarking                            What's this?