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The Saga of Mammalian Sperm from Ejaculation to Syngamy

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Mammalian Reproduction

Abstract

Although the rather dramatic sense conveyed by the word “saga” may seem out of place in the present context, this term is perhaps not entirely inappropriate. For, it is well known that although many millions of sperm are introduced into the female at ejaculation, most perish en route to the site of fertilization and only very few ever reach the surface of the egg. Thus, after their deposition into the vagina of women, cows, ewes, and female rabbits, for instance, “successful” spermatozoa must journey past the selective barriers of the uterine cervix and utero-tubal junction. They are exposed in the uterus to phagocytes and, before they can fertilize the ovum, they must first traverse the local barriers around the egg formed by the granulosa cell mass and zona pellucida. Moreover, before these last events can be accomplished, the sperm must also complete a final phase of physiological maturation (capacitation) under the aegis of uterine and tubal secretions, which confers upon it finally the ability to undergo the acrosome reaction and to reach and penetrate the zona pellucida.

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  1. Department of Anatomy and International Institute for Human Reproduction, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, N.Y., 10032, USA

    J. Michael Bedford

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  1. Pharmaforschung Schering AG, Müllerstraße 170–172, D-1000, Berlin 65, Germany

    Heinz Gibian

  2. Universitätsfrauenklinik, D-5300, Bonn-Venusberg, Germany

    Ernst Jürgen Plotz

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Bedford, J.M. (1970). The Saga of Mammalian Sperm from Ejaculation to Syngamy. In: Gibian, H., Plotz, E.J. (eds) Mammalian Reproduction. Colloquium der Gesellschaft für Biologische Chemie in 9.–11. April 1970 in Mosbach/Baden, vol 21. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-64993-6_10

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