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Capacitation of Mammalian Spermatozoa

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Physiology and Genetics of Reproduction

Part of the book series: Basic Life Sciences ((BLSC,volume 4))

Abstract

The need for a physiological change in mammalian spermatozoa in the female genital tract as a prerequisite for fertilization was first recognized by Austin (1951) and Chang (1951) in the rabbit, and the change was termed “capacita­tion” (Austin, 1952). They found that if epididymal or ejaculated spermatozoa were introduced into the oviduct of the female rabbit before ovulation, eggs were fertilized. However, when the spermatozoa were introduced into the female after ovulation, few-if any-eggs were fertilized. In other words, the eggs lost the ability to be fertilized before the spermatozoa became capacitated.

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  1. C. Barros

    Present address: Laboratory of Embryology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

    C. Barros

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  1. C. Barros
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Maternal Health and Child Care, Federal University of Bahia Faculty of Medicine, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

    Elsimar M. Coutinho

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York, USA

    Fritz Fuchs

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Barros, C. (1974). Capacitation of Mammalian Spermatozoa. In: Coutinho, E.M., Fuchs, F. (eds) Physiology and Genetics of Reproduction. Basic Life Sciences, vol 4. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2892-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2892-6_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-2894-0

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