Sperm guidance in mammals - an unpaved road to the egg

Contrary to the prevalent view, there seems to be no competition in the mammalian female genital tract among large numbers of sperm cells that are racing towards the egg. Instead, small numbers of the ejaculated sperm cells enter the Fallopian tube, and these few must be guided to make the remaining...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature reviews. Molecular cell biology Vol. 7; no. 4; pp. 276 - 285
Main Authors Eisenbach, Michael, Giojalas, Laura C
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 01.04.2006
Subjects
Animals
Chemotaxis
Female
Females
Humans
Male
Mammals
Models, Biological
Ovaries
Ovum - physiology
Sperm
Sperm-Ovum Interactions
Spermatozoa - physiology
Temperature
Uterus
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Summary:Contrary to the prevalent view, there seems to be no competition in the mammalian female genital tract among large numbers of sperm cells that are racing towards the egg. Instead, small numbers of the ejaculated sperm cells enter the Fallopian tube, and these few must be guided to make the remaining long, obstructed way to the egg. Here, we review the mechanisms by which mammalian sperm cells are guided to the egg.
ISSN:1471-0072
1471-0080
DOI:10.1038/nrm1893