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Biology of Reproduction 67, 1565-1571 (2002)
© 2002 Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Regular Article

Chemotaxis of Capacitated Rabbit Spermatozoa to Follicular Fluid Revealed by a Novel Directionality-Based Assay1

Georgina Fabroa, Roberto A. Rovasioa, Silvia Civaleroa, Anat Frenkelb, S. Roy Caplanb,c, Michael Eisenbachb, and Laura C. Giojalas2,a

a Laboratorio de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5000, Argentina b Department of Biological Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel c Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1Y6

Precontact communication between gametes is established by chemotaxis. Sperm chemotaxis toward factor(s) in follicular fluid (FF) has been demonstrated in humans and mice. In humans, the chemotactic responsiveness is restricted to capacitated spermatozoa. Here, we investigated whether sperm chemotaxis to factor(s) present in FF also occurs in rabbits and, if so, whether only capacitated spermatozoa are chemotactically responsive. Chemotaxis assays were performed by videomicroscopy in a Zigmond chamber. We measured chemotactic responsiveness as a function of FF dilution by means of a novel directionality-based method that considers the ratio between the distances traveled by the spermatozoa both parallel to the chemoattractant gradient and perpendicular to it. A peak of maximal response was observed at 10-4 dilution of FF, resulting in a typical chemotactic concentration-dependent curve in which 23% of the spermatozoa were chemotactically responsive. In contrast, the percentage of cells exhibiting FF-dependent enhanced speed of swimming increased with the FF concentration, whereas the percentage of cells maintaining linear motility decreased with the FF concentration. The percentages of chemotactically responsive cells were very similar to those of capacitated spermatozoa. Depletion of the latter by stimulation of the acrosome reaction resulted in a total loss of the chemotactic response, whereas the reappearance of capacitated cells resulted in a recovery of chemotactic responsiveness. We conclude that rabbit spermatozoa, like human spermatozoa, are chemotactically responsive to FF factor(s) and acquire this responsiveness as part of the capacitation process.

1 Supported by grants from CONICET, CONICOR, FONCYT, and SECyT-UNC (Argentina).

2 Correspondence: L.C. Giojalas, Lab. de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sársfield 299, Córdoba 5000, Argentina. FAX: 054 351 433 2097; lcgiojalas{at}com.uncor.edu






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Copyright © 2002 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.