Human spermatozoa migration in microchannels reveals boundary-following navigation
Human spermatozoa migration in microchannels reveals boundary-following navigation
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1202934109
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发表时间：
2012-05-22
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Kirkman-Brown, Jackson
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Denissenko, Petr;Kantsler, Vasily;Kirkman-Brown, Jackson
活动的人类精子在体内的迁移能力对于自然生育力至关重要，但寻找卵子的数十个细胞与射出的数百万个细胞有何特性区分仍然是一个谜。为了到达受精部位，精子必须穿过狭窄而曲折的通道，充满粘性液体。为了阐明在复杂的三维女性生殖道环境中可能发生的个体和群体行为，我们研究了迁移精子在各种微通道几何形状中的行为。细胞很少在通道横截面的中心部分游动，而是沿着通道壁的交叉点（“通道拐角”）行进。当通道急剧转弯时，细胞离开拐角，继续前进，直到撞击通道的相对壁，具有偏离角的分布，后者由流体粘度调制。如果通道弯曲是平滑的，则当曲率半径小于接近150 μ m的阈值时，细胞从内壁离开。特定的壁形状能够优先引导运动细胞。由于细胞沿着角落游动，细胞占据的区域基本上变成一维的，导致频繁的碰撞，并且在对迁移细胞群体的行为建模以及考虑精子如何在雌性管道中繁殖和导航时需要考虑。粘度和三维结构的综合作用应占在未来的精子化学吸引力的体外研究。
The migratory abilities of motile human spermatozoa in vivo are essential for natural fertility, but it remains a mystery what properties distinguish the tens of cells which find an egg from the millions of cells ejaculated. To reach the site of fertilization, sperm must traverse narrow and convoluted channels, filled with viscous fluids. To elucidate individual and group behaviors that may occur in the complex three-dimensional female tract environment, we examine the behavior of migrating sperm in assorted microchannel geometries. Cells rarely swim in the central part of the channel cross-section, instead traveling along the intersection of the channel walls ("channel corners"). When the channel turns sharply, cells leave the corner, continuing ahead until hitting the opposite wall of the channel, with a distribution of departure angles, the latter being modulated by fluid viscosity. If the channel bend is smooth, cells depart from the inner wall when the curvature radius is less than a threshold value close to 150 mu m. Specific wall shapes are able to preferentially direct motile cells. As a consequence of swimming along the corners, the domain occupied by cells becomes essentially one-dimensional, leading to frequent collisions, and needs to be accounted for when modeling the behavior of populations of migratory cells and considering how sperm populate and navigate the female tract. The combined effect of viscosity and three-dimensional architecture should be accounted for in future in vitro studies of sperm chemoattraction.