Journal
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 6, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9703
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [NSERC I2IPJ469164-14, NSERC RGPIN-2015-06701, NSERC RGPIN-2015-043]
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR 139088, CIHR MOP-123320]
- Ontario Graduate ScholarshipOGS
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Sperm motion near surfaces plays a crucial role in fertilization, but the nature of this motion has not been resolved. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we selectively imaged motile human and bull sperm located within one micron of a surface, revealing a distinct two-dimensional (2D) 'slither' swimming mode whereby the full cell length (50-80 mu m) is confined within 1 mu m of a surface. This behaviour is distinct from bulk and near-wall swimming modes where the flagellar wave is helical and the head continuously rotates. The slither mode is intermittent (similar to 1s, similar to 70 mu m), and in human sperm, is observed only for viscosities over 20 mPa.s. Bull sperm are slower in this surface-confined swimming mode, owing to a decrease in their flagellar wave amplitude. In contrast, human sperm are similar to 50% faster-suggesting a strategy that is well suited to the highly viscous and confined lumen within the human fallopian tube.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available