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Capacitation of Frog Sperm

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Abstract

THE capacitation of spermatozoa is established as a prerequisite to fertilization in mammals1,2. Presumably the sperm undergoes some morphological or physiological change (or both) while in contact with female reproductive tissues, and it is only after this “capacitation” that the mammalian sperm can make contact with and penetrate the egg surface3–5. Results of studies carried out in our laboratory suggest that an interaction between the egg-jelly material and the sperm of the frog, Rana pipiens, might be analogous to capacitation in mammals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37916

    C. ALEX SHIVERS & JUDITH M. JAMES

Authors
  1. C. ALEX SHIVERS
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  2. JUDITH M. JAMES
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SHIVERS, C., JAMES, J. Capacitation of Frog Sperm. Nature 227, 183–184 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/227183a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/227183a0

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