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Vertebrate reproductive science and technology
REVIEW

Influence of extracellular ATP on mammalian sperm physiology

I. López-González https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1536-0258 A * , I. Oseguera-López https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3547-3751 A , R. Castillo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1472-3464 A and A. Darszon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2502-0505 A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad # 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos CP 62210, México.


Handling Editor: Marc Yeste

Reproduction, Fertility and Development 36, RD23227 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD23227
Submitted: 14 December 2023  Accepted: 23 May 2024  Published online: 13 June 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

In addition to its central role in cellular metabolism, adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) is an important extracellular signalling molecule involved in various physiological processes. In reproduction, extracellular ATP participates in both autocrine and paracrine paths regulating gametogenesis, gamete maturation and fertilisation. This review focusses on how extracellular ATP modulates sperm physiology with emphasis on the mammalian acrosome reaction. The presence of extracellular ATP in the reproductive tract is primarily determined by the ion channels and transporters that influence its movement within the cells comprising the tract. The main targets of extracellular ATP in spermatozoa are its own transporters, particularly species-specific sperm purinergic receptors. We also discuss notable phenotypes from knock-out mouse models and human Mendelian inheritance related to ATP release mechanisms, along with immunological, proteomic, and functional observations regarding sperm purinergic receptors and their involvement in sperm signalling.

Keywords: acrosome reaction, ATP permeant channels, ATP regulation, reproductive system, sperm head volume change, sperm motility, sperm purinergic receptors, spermatogenic cells.

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