Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34793454›Full record

ArticlePloS one2021

Mathematical model reveals that heterogeneity in the number of ion transporters regulates the fraction of mouse sperm capacitation.

Alejandro Aguado-García, Daniel A Priego-Espinosa, Andrés Aldana, Alberto Darszon, Gustavo Martínez-Mekler

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Alejandro Aguado-GarcíaInstituto de Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Daniel A Priego-EspinosaInstituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.ORCID 0000-0001-5780-8789
Andrés AldanaInstituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Alberto DarszonInstituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Gustavo Martínez-MeklerInstituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.ORCID 0000-0002-1192-9769

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Capacitation is a complex maturation process mammalian sperm must undergo in the female genital tract to be able to fertilize an egg. This process involves, amongst others, physiological changes in flagellar beating pattern, membrane potential, intracellular ion concentrations and protein phosphorylation. Typically, in a capacitation medium, only a fraction of sperm achieve this state. The cause for this heterogeneous response is still not well understood and remains an open question. Here, one of our principal results is to develop a discrete regulatory network, with mostly deterministic dynamics in conjunction with some stochastic elements, for the main biochemical and biophysical processes involved in the early events of capacitation. The model criterion for capacitation requires the convergence of specific levels of a select set of nodes. Besides reproducing several experimental results and providing some insight on the network interrelations, the main contribution of the model is the suggestion that the degree of variability in the total amount and individual number of ion transporters among spermatozoa regulates the fraction of capacitated spermatozoa. This conclusion is consistent with recently reported experimental results. Based on this mathematical analysis, experimental clues are proposed for the control of capacitation levels. Furthermore, cooperative and interference traits that become apparent in the modelling among some components also call for future theoretical and experimental studies.

Indexed as

Models, TheoreticalAnimalsIon ChannelsIon TransportMaleMicePhosphorylationSpermatozoaSperm CapacitationIon Channels

Identifiers

PMID34793454
PMCPMC8601445

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.