13 



BIOLOGY OF SPERMATOZOA 



David W. Bishop, Ph.D. 



STAFF MEMBER, DEPARTMENT OF EMBRYOLOGY, CARNEGIE 

 INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. BALTIMORE. MARYLAND 



I. Introduction 707 



II. Functional State of Gametes after 



Spermatogenesis 709 



A. The ^Maturation of Spermatozoa . . 709 



B. Cytogenetic Differences in Sperm 710 



C. Requirements for Large Sperm 



Numbers 711 



III. Sperm Transport and Storage in 



the Male Tract 711 



A. Sperm Transport 711 



B. Sperm Survival 713 



C. The Functional Microanatomy of 



the Epididymis 714 



I). The Epididymis in Relation to 



Sperm Physiology 7](i 



E. The Fate of the Nonutilized Sperm 



in the Male 720 



F. Acquisition bv Sperm of the Capac- 



ity for Motility 721 



IV. Insemination 722 



A. Ejaculation 723 



B. Collection of Seminal Components. 725 



C. Seminal Volume and Successive 



Fractions 725 



D. Effective Sperm Concentration. . . . 727 



E. Site of Insemination 727 



F. Artificial Insemination 727 



V. Sperm Transport and Survival in 



THE Female Tr.\ct 729 



A. Duration of Transport 729 



B. Mechanism of Transport in the 



LTterus and Oviduct 731 



C. Critical Regions of Sperm Trans- 



port 732 



1. The cervix 734 



2. The uterotubal junction 735 



3. The isthmus 737 



D. Number of Sperm at the Site of 



Fertilization 738 



E;. Duration of Fertilizing Capacity. . . 738 

 F. Duration of Sperm Motility 



throughout the Tract 740 



Ci. Sperm Viability in Relation to 



Tubal Physiology 740 



H. The Fate of Nonfertilizing Sperma- 

 tozoa 744 



VI. Imminologic Problems Assoct.a.ted 



wuru Spermatozoa 745 



A. Antigenicity of Sperm 745 



B. Sperm-induced Immune Responses 



in the Male 746 



C. Sperm-induced Immune Responses 



in the Female 747 



VII. Morphology and Composition of 



Spermatozoa 750 



A. Structural Features 750 



B. Biochemical Features 754 



C. The Localization of Enzymes 755 



D. The Sperm Surface 75(1 



nil. Sperm Metabolism 757 



A. Sources of Energy 757 



B. Invertebrate Sperm Metabolism. . . 758 



C. Mammalian Sperm Metabolism. . . . 759 



D. Epididymal Sperm and Metabolic 



Regulation 701 



E. Human Sperm Metabolism 702 



F. Metabolic-Thermodynamic Inter- 



relations 764 



G. Biosynthetic Activity 764 



IX. Sperm Flagellation 7(55 



A. Wave Patterns 765 



B. Sperm Velocit}' 766 



C. Hydrodynamics 766 



D. Mechanism of Motility 767 



X. Fertilizing Capacity of Treated 



Spermatozoa 769 



A. Dilution of the Sperm Suspension. . 770 



B. Temperature Effects 770 



C. Ionizing Radiation 770 



D. Ionic and Osmotic Effects 771 



E. Effects of Biologic Fluids 772 



XI. Conclusion 775 



XII. References 775 



I. Introduction 



In no way is the present review intended 

 to represent a renovation of the comparable 

 section in the second edition of Sex and In- 

 terjial Secretions (Hartman, 1939) . It would 

 be both presumptions and impracticable to 

 attempt to update Professor Hartman's dis- 

 cussion of the physiologic role of spermato- 

 zoa in reproduction; this stands as a land- 



707 



