Serum albumin and HCO3- regulate separate pools of ATP in human spermatozoa.

Study Question: Do the known capacitating agents HCO(3)(-) and serum albumin regulate the generation of ATP required for sperm motility and capacitation?

Summary Answer: Serum albumin and HCO(3)(-) seem to regulate two separate pools of ATP by different mechanisms in human spermatozoa.

What Is Known Already: Sperm capacitation is a maturation process that naturally occurs in the female reproductive tract preparing the sperm cell for fertilization. It is a highly energy-depending process as it involves hyperactive motility and substantial levels of protein phosphorylation.

Structure and function of the human sperm-specific isoform of protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit Cα2.

Protein kinase A (PKA) exists as several tissue-specific isoforms that through phosphorylation of serine and threonine residues of substrate proteins act as key regulators of a number of cellular processes. We here demonstrate that the human sperm-specific isoform of PKA named Cα2 is important for sperm motility and thus male fertility. Furthermore, we report on the first three-dimensional crystal structure of human apo Cα2 to 2.

Exogenous pyruvate accelerates glycolysis and promotes capacitation in human spermatozoa.

Background: There has been an ongoing debate in the reproductive field about whether mammalian spermatozoa rely on glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation or both for their energy production. Recent studies have proposed that human spermatozoa depend mainly on glucose for motility and fertilization but the mechanism behind an efficient glycolysis in human spermatozoa is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate how human spermatozoa utilize exogenous pyruvate to enhance glycolytic ATP production, motility, hyperactivation and capacitation, events that are crucial for male fertility.

Influence of aspirin on the clinical outcomes of 103 anti-phospholipid antibodies-positive patients.

One hundred and three consecutive asymptomatic anti-phospholipid (aPL) antibody-positive carriers, taking aspirin (n=75) or not (n=28), were studied retrospectively to determine whether aspirin could provide primary prevention of anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) symptoms. All patients positive for anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL; >25 UGPL or UMPL) and/or lupus anti-coagulant were followed for a mean of 64+/-24.7 months.