An "accelerator pedal" that controls the speed of sperm has been discovered, in a breakthrough that could be used to boost male fertility or come up with a new form of contraception.
Researchers have found how a chemical switch not only kick starts sperm swimming but also controls its speed as it races towards fertilising an egg.
The process is crucial to successful conception because if a sperm starts off too early or to quickly it will die before reaching the egg.
Alternatively, if it starts too late and too slowly it will miss its opportunity.
Dr Yuriy Kirichok, the lead author from the University of California, said: "You can imagine now that we know the molecule responsible we could block it to prevent activation and fertilisation as a kind of male contraception.
"On the other hand, you might also give some sperm the extra boost they need."
It was already known that the speed at which a sperm's tail moves was controlled by the pH or acidity level inside its body. The less acidic the faster the sperm swims.
But now scientists, who published their study in the journal Cell, have discovered the process by which the pH levels of the "internal environment" is controlled.
They have discovered that tiny little pores that act like "gateways" in the sperm's tail, allowing acidic protons to seep out and boosting the sperm's movement.
These "gateways" are in turn controlled by a molecule known as Hv1. By controlling the Hv1 molecule the speed of the sperm can be controlled.
Dr Allan Pacey, an expert in male fertility at the University of Sheffield, said the research was "useful" because it identifies what triggers sperm to start beating its tail by changing the acidity of the inside of the cell.
"Now that we know what this channel is, then it could lead us to either develop a novel contraceptive for men, or perhaps find a way to improve the sperm motility for men whose sperm don't swim as well as they should," he said.
Read more:www.telegraph.co.uk
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