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Spotlight on Sperm
20 February 2015

Spotlight on Sperm

Infertility can be caused by sperm that are unable to swim because they lack a common enzyme necessary to make the important biological messenger cyclic AMP, preventing them from beating their tail-like flagella. In a laboratory experiment, male mice with this condition were genetically engineered so that their sperm produced another type of enzyme, bPAC. This is normally produced by a type of soil bacteria and has the remarkable property of stimulating cyclic AMP production when activated by light. Pictured is a mouse sperm whose tail has burst back into life – the false colours showing its movements – after being exposed to blue light. Whether this technique has applications for the treatment of human infertility remains to be seen – but it is certainly a triumph for optogenetics, the emerging science of modifying cells so they can be controlled with light.

Written by Mick Warwicker

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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