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Fig. 4 | Basic and Clinical Andrology

Fig. 4

From: The annulus: composition, role and importance in sperm flagellum biogenesis and male fertility

Fig. 4

Schematic representation of the main events occurring during sperm capacitation. Capacitation is the functional maturation event occurring during sperm transit through the female reproductive tract. It involves a set of biochemical and functional modifications, which are essential to confer the fertilization potential. Overall, the process begins with an efflux of cholesterol from the sperm membrane and an influx of calcium and bicarbonate ions, into the spermatozoon. These modifications lead to the activation of the soluble adenylate cyclase (SACY), which produces cAMP that directly activates the protein kinase A (PKA), resulting in an increase in protein tyrosine phosphorylation inside the spermatozoon. Created with BioRender.com

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Basic and Clinical Andrology

ISSN: 2051-4190