- Title
- Induction of sperm maturation in vitro in epididymal cell cultures of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii): disruption of motility initiation and sperm morphogenesis by inhibition of actin polymerization
- Creator
- Lin, M.; Hess, R.; Aitken, R. J.
- Relation
- Reproduction Vol. 124, Issue 1, p. 107-117
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1530/rep.0.1240107
- Publisher
- Society for Reproduction and Fertility
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2002
- Description
- A sperm-epididymal cell co-culture was shown to be capable of inducing the in vitro maturation of spermatozoa from a marsupial species, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). This system was able to maintain wallaby epididymal epithelial cells in vitro for more than 2 months. The system also enabled immature wallaby spermatozoa to differentiate from a T-shaped to a streamlined form, accompanied by the development of progressive motility after co-culture with epididymal cell monolayers that had been cultured for 7 days. The addition of inhibitors of actin polymerization (latrunculin A or B) to the co-culture system showed that wallaby sperm maturation was impaired by the interruption of actin organization within the immature spermatozoa. These results indicate that actin filaments play a significant role in sperm transformation during post-testicular maturation in marsupials. These observations also indicate that the marsupial co-culture system has the potential to greatly increase understanding of sperm-epididymal cell interactions and the mechanism of sperm maturation in these species.
- Subject
- sperm maturation; Macropus eugenii; epididymal cell cultures
- Identifier
- uon:1517
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/27279
- Identifier
- ISSN:1470-1626
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