Development of a Biology-Based Sperm Storage System

基于生物学的精子储存系统的开发

• 批准号: 1450227
• 负责人: David Miller
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-15 至 2016-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1450227&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; Biology; Based; Sperm; Storage

In most animals, the female reproductive tract can store sperm for longer times than semen extenders. For example, poultry semen in extenders is usually only stored for up to 48 hours before insemination compared to the 2-3 week storage in the hen. Clearly, the female reproductive tract has capabilities unmatched by artificial extenders. Based on supportive preliminary results, the investigators hypothesize that adding specific oviduct glycans to bovine sperm will prolong sperm lifespan ex vivo. The studies supported by this award are designed to address the NSF BREAD Challenge topic of developing a cold-chain-free artificial insemination process. Sperm storage by cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen has revolutionized transportation of bovine semen in developed countries. But cryopreservation techniques are impractical for small herdowners in developing countries due to technical and infrastructure constraints. A more practical alternative would allow semen from valuable males to be transported at ambient temperature, maximizing the genetic impact of valuable animals. The characteristics of the mammalian oviduct that enable sperm to live an extended lifespan are unclear but there is a developing paradigm that oviductal glycans are involved in sperm retention and that the glycans extend sperm cell viability. These hypotheses will be addressed in 3 specific aims: 1) identification of glycan motifs that bind bovine sperm and determine their location in the oviduct; 2) determination of whether oviduct glycans that bind sperm prolong sperm lifespan and function in standard culture medium (dmTALP); and 3) determination of whether oviduct glycans can prolong sperm lifespan and function in an optimized semen diluent at normal room temperatures. In addition to the research findings, this project will train a postdoctoral fellow and several undergraduates, including underrepresented minority students recruited through the many diversity-oriented programs at the University of Illinois. An interactive web site that teaches the importance of semen analysis that will be developed and used in laboratories for a class of 175 students each year. Results from the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through scientific conferences.

在大多数动物中，雌性生殖道可以比精液补充剂储存精子更长的时间。例如，与在母鸡中储存2-3周相比，在授精前，稀释剂中的家禽精液通常仅储存长达48小时。显然，女性生殖道具有人工扩张器无法比拟的能力。基于支持性的初步结果，研究人员假设向牛精子中添加特定的输卵管聚糖将延长精子的体外寿命。 该奖项支持的研究旨在解决NSF BREAD挑战赛的主题，即开发无冷链人工授精过程。在发达国家，液氮冷冻保存精子已经彻底改变了牛精液的运输方式。但由于技术和基础设施的限制，低温保存技术对发展中国家的小型牧民来说是不切实际的。一个更实际的替代方案是允许有价值的雄性动物的精液在环境温度下运输，最大限度地提高有价值动物的遗传影响。哺乳动物输卵管使精子寿命延长的特征尚不清楚，但有一个发展中的范例，即输卵管聚糖参与精子保留，并且聚糖延长精子细胞活力。这些假设将在3个特定目标中得到解决：1）鉴定结合牛精子的聚糖基序并确定其在输卵管中的位置; 2）确定结合精子的输卵管聚糖是否延长精子寿命并在标准培养基（dmTALP）中发挥作用; 3）确定输卵管聚糖是否可以延长精子寿命并在正常室温下在优化的精液稀释液中发挥作用。 除了研究结果，该项目将培养一名博士后研究员和几名本科生，包括通过伊利诺伊大学许多面向多样性的项目招募的代表性不足的少数民族学生。一个交互式的网站，教导精液分析的重要性，将开发和实验室使用的一个类的175名学生每年。研究结果将发表在同行评审期刊上，并通过科学会议传播。