Premium
Aquaporins in the male reproductive tract and sperm: Functional implications and cryobiology
Author(s) -
Yeste M,
Morató R,
RodríguezGil JE,
Bonet S,
PrietoMartínez N
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
reproduction in domestic animals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1439-0531
pISSN - 0936-6768
DOI - 10.1111/rda.13082
Subject(s) - sperm , epididymis , efferent ducts , aquaporin , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , water transport , andrology , water flow , genetics , medicine , environmental engineering , engineering
Contents Aquaporins ( AQP s) play a vital role for the transport of water and solutes across cell membranes. Classification of these ubiquitous proteins into three categories (orthodox AQP s, aquaglyceroporins and superaquaporins) is based on their sequence similarity and substrate selectivity. In the male reproductive tract of mammals, most AQP s (except AQP 6 and AQP 12) are found in different organs (including testis, efferent ducts and epididymis). AQP 1 and AQP 9 are the most abundant AQP s in the efferent ducts and epididymis and play a crucial role for the secretion/reabsorption dynamics of luminal fluid during sperm transport and maturation. AQP 3, AQP 7, AQP 8 and AQP 11 are the most abundant AQP s in sperm and are involved in the regulation of their volume, which is required for the differentiation of spermatids into spermatozoa during spermatogenesis, as well as in sperm transit along environments of different osmolality (male and female reproductive tracts). While different studies conducted in oocytes and embryos have demonstrated that AQP s are important for cryotolerance, data in sperm are scarce. At present, mounting evidence indicates that AQP 3, AQP 7 and AQP 11 are involved in the sperm response to variations of osmolality and to freeze‐thawing procedures. All these studies contribute to understand the physiology of both male reproductive tract and sperm, and open up new research ventures on the improvement of sperm cryopreservation protocols.