Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Annu Rev Physiol. 2012;74:453-75. doi: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-020911-153258. Epub 2011 Oct 13.
Ion channels control the sperm ability to fertilize the egg by regulating sperm maturation in the female reproductive tract and by triggering key sperm physiological responses required for successful fertilization such as hyperactivated motility, chemotaxis, and the acrosome reaction. CatSper, a pH-regulated, calcium-selective ion channel, and KSper (Slo3) are core regulators of sperm tail calcium entry and sperm hyperactivated motility. Many other channels had been proposed as regulating sperm activity without direct measurements. With the development of the sperm patch-clamp technique, CatSper and KSper have been confirmed as the primary spermatozoan ion channels. In addition, the voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 has been identified in human sperm tail, and the P2X2 ion channel has been identified in the midpiece of mouse sperm. Mutations and deletions in sperm-specific ion channels affect male fertility in both mice and humans without affecting other physiological functions. The uniqueness of sperm ion channels makes them ideal pharmaceutical targets for contraception. In this review we discuss how ion channels regulate sperm physiology.
离子通道通过调节雌性生殖道中精子的成熟，以及触发成功受精所需的关键精子生理反应，如超激活运动、趋化性和顶体反应，来控制精子使卵子受精的能力。CatSper 是一种 pH 调节、钙选择性离子通道，KSper（Slo3）是精子尾部钙内流和精子超激活运动的核心调节剂。许多其他通道被提出作为调节精子活动的因素，但没有直接的测量。随着精子膜片钳技术的发展，CatSper 和 KSper 已被确认为主要的精子离子通道。此外，在人精子尾部已经鉴定出电压门控质子通道 Hv1，在小鼠精子中段已经鉴定出 P2X2 离子通道。精子特异性离子通道的突变和缺失会影响小鼠和人类的生育能力，而不影响其他生理功能。精子离子通道的独特性使它们成为避孕的理想药物靶点。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了离子通道如何调节精子生理。
