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The Arduous Way to the Egg: Follow the Nose
Author(s) -
Bartram Stefan,
Boland Wilhelm
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.200301676
Subject(s) - sperm , second messenger system , nose , antagonist , microbiology and biotechnology , olfactory receptor , biology , receptor , olfactory epithelium , olfactory system , zoology , anatomy , neuroscience , signal transduction , botany , biochemistry
The scent of success! On their way to the ovum, human sperms are guided by chemical signals, which may be related to the scent of the lily of the valley. para ‐Substituted 3‐phenylpropanals such as cyclamal and bourgeonal are recognized by an olfactory receptor of the sperm and trigger an influx of Ca 2+ ions via cAMP as a second messenger. The signal modulates the swimming behavior and speed of the sperm. Undecanal acts as an antagonist and makes the sperm cells slow and disorientated.