The way mammalian sperm cells move has been a mystery to scientists for decades, but new research has identified two distinct modes of movement. In a research paper published in the journal Science, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) describe how they used state-of-the-art microscopy to uncover the secret to sperm locomotion.

According to the team, mammalian sperm cells have two distinct modes of movement: a “kicking” mode, where the cell moves forward with a series of jerky back-and-forth motions, and a “sliding” mode, where the cell glides forward without much motion. The researchers found that the two modes are regulated by the cell’s cytoskeleton, and that the kicking mode is used for long-distance travel while the sliding mode is used for short-distance travel. The findings could help scientists better understand how sperm cells move and ultimately help improve male fertility treatments.

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source: Phys.org