Department of Animal Sciences and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA; email:
Annu Rev Anim Biosci. 2024 Feb 15;12:301-319. doi: 10.1146/annurev-animal-021022-040629. Epub 2023 Oct 31.
Mammalian sperm are deposited in the vagina or the cervix/uterus at coitus or at artificial insemination, and the fertilizing sperm move through the female reproductive tract to the ampulla of the oviduct, the site of fertilization. But the destination of most sperm is not the oviduct. Most sperm are carried by retrograde fluid flow to the vagina, are phagocytosed, and/or do not pass barriers on the pathway to the oviduct. The sperm that reach the site of fertilization are the exceptions and winners of one of the most stringent selection processes in nature. This review discusses the challenges sperm encounter and how the few sperm that reach the site of fertilization overcome them. The sperm that reach the goal must navigate viscoelastic fluid, swim vigorously and cooperatively along the walls of the female tract, avoid the innate immune system, and respond to potential cues to direct their movement.
哺乳动物的精子在性交或人工授精时被注入阴道或子宫颈/子宫，然后受精的精子通过女性生殖道移动到输卵管的壶腹部，这是受精的部位。但大多数精子的目的地不是输卵管。大多数精子被逆行的液体流带到阴道，被吞噬，和/或在通向输卵管的途径上不能通过屏障。到达受精部位的精子是例外，是自然中最严格的选择过程之一的优胜者。这篇综述讨论了精子遇到的挑战，以及到达受精部位的少数精子是如何克服这些挑战的。到达目标的精子必须在粘性弹性流体中导航，沿着女性生殖道的壁有力而协作地游动，避开先天免疫系统，并对潜在的线索做出反应，以指导它们的运动。
