Publicover Stephen, Harper Claire V, Barratt Christopher
Stephen Publicover is in the School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
Nat Cell Biol. 2007 Mar;9(3):235-42. doi: 10.1038/ncb0307-235.
Thanks to a worrying decrease in male fertility, understanding how sperm 'work' is a matter both of interest and great importance. Sperm of all animals detect various environmental cues. The 'behavioural' and physiological responses of sperm must be specific, appropriate and correctly timed. Strangely, in a cell with few organelles and minimal cytoplasmic volume, internal Ca(2+) concentration, Ca(2+), regulates almost all these activities. How does such a simple cell achieve this - and is it as simple as it seems?
由于男性生育能力令人担忧地下降，了解精子如何“工作”成为一个既有趣又极其重要的问题。所有动物的精子都能检测各种环境信号。精子的“行为”和生理反应必须是特定的、恰当的且时机正确的。奇怪的是，在一个细胞器很少且细胞质体积最小的细胞中，细胞内钙离子浓度[Ca(2+)]i几乎调节着所有这些活动。这样一个简单的细胞是如何做到这一点的——它真的像看起来那么简单吗？
