Regulation of fowl sperm motility: evidence for the indirect, but not direct, involvement of dynein-ATPase activity on the reversible temperature-dependent immobilization.

Potential mechanisms of the reversible temperature-dependent immobilization of fowl sperm were investigated. At 30 °C, motility of demembranated fowl sperm was inhibited by adding 2 mM ethylene glycol-bis (2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), but restored immediately after the subsequent addition of 2 mM CaCl(2), whereas at 40 °C, such additions did not appreciably affect motility (which remained almost negligible). With intact sperm, 10(-9) to 10(-3) M Ca(2+) had no effect on motility at 30 °C, which remained high.