College of Animal Science and Technology and Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China.
Department of Theriogenology, Riphah College of Veterinary Sciences, Lahore 54000, Punjab, Pakistan.
Genes (Basel). 2021 Mar 27;12(4):488. doi: 10.3390/genes12040488.
Sperm chemotaxis, which guide sperm toward oocyte, is tightly associated with sperm capacitation, motility, and fertility. However, the molecular mechanism of sperm chemotaxis is not known. Reproductive odorant and taste receptors, belong to G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) super-family, cause an increase in intracellular Ca concentration which is pre-requisite for sperm capacitation and acrosomal reaction, and result in sperm hyperpolarization and increase motility through activation of Ca-dependent Cl channels. Recently, odorant receptors (ORs) in olfactory transduction pathway were thought to be associated with post-thaw sperm motility, freeze tolerance or freezability and cryo-capacitation-like change during cryopreservation. Investigation of the roles of odorant and taste receptors (TRs) is important for our understanding of the freeze tolerance or freezability mechanism and improve the motility and fertility of post-thaw sperm. Here, we reviewed the roles, mode of action, impact of odorant and taste receptors on sperm chemotaxis and post-thaw sperm quality.
精子趋化性，即引导精子向卵子移动，与精子获能、运动和生育能力密切相关。然而，精子趋化性的分子机制尚不清楚。生殖气味和味觉受体属于 G 蛋白偶联受体 (GPCR) 超家族，引起细胞内 Ca 浓度增加，这是精子获能和顶体反应的必要条件，通过激活 Ca 依赖性 Cl 通道导致精子超极化和运动增加。最近，嗅觉转导途径中的气味受体 (OR) 被认为与解冻后精子运动、冷冻耐受性或可冻存性以及冷冻保存期间的类激活变化有关。研究气味和味觉受体 (TR) 的作用对于我们理解冷冻耐受性或可冻存性机制以及提高解冻后精子的运动能力和生育能力非常重要。在这里，我们综述了气味和味觉受体的作用、作用模式、对精子趋化性和解冻后精子质量的影响。
