Mammalian spermatozoa are unique cells in many ways, and the acquisition of their main
function, ie fertilization capacity, is a multistep process starting in the male gonad and …

Despite significant advances in contraceptive options for women over the last 50 yr, world
population continues to grow rapidly. Scientists and activists alike point to the devastating …

Background The development of a safe, effective, reversible, non-hormonal contraceptive
method for men has been an ongoing effort for the past few decades. However, despite …

The epididymis is responsible for post-testicular sperm maturation, which consists in the
acquisition of forward motility and fertilizing ability. This organ is composed of three main …

Male infertility is often caused by sperm that have low motility and interact poorly with the
oocyte. Spermatozoa acquire these crucial functions in the epididymis. A low luminal …

The mammalian epididymis is more than a highly convoluted tube divided into four regions:
initial segment, caput, corpus and cauda. It is a highly segmented structure with each …

The vertebrate nuclear hormone receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1; NR5A1) controls
reproductive development and regulates the transcription of steroid-modifying cytochrome …

The epididymis is a single convoluted tubule lined by a pseudostratified epithelium.
Specialized epididymal epithelial cells, the so-called principal, basal, narrow, and clear …

β-defensin peptides are a family of antimicrobial peptides present at mucosal surfaces, with
the main site of expression under normal conditions in the male reproductive tract. Although …

Once shed from their fostering Sertoli cells, spermatozoa leave the testis and are transported
passively by seminiferous fluid through the rete testis. Then, these immature cells enter the …