A novel cross-species inhibitor to study the function of CatSper Ca channels in sperm.

Background And Purpose: Sperm from many species share the sperm-specific Ca channel CatSper that controls the intracellular Ca concentration and, thereby, the swimming behaviour. A growing body of evidence suggests that the mechanisms controlling the activity of CatSper and its role during fertilization differ among species. A lack of suitable pharmacological tools has hampered the elucidation of the function of CatSper.