Quantitation of avian spermatozoan motility: Neurochemical regulation

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Abstract
The hypothesis that motility of avian sperm is regulated by acetylcholine was examined by treating rooster (Gallus domesticus) sperm with choline analogs and paraoxon, an inhibitor of colonesterases. Acetylcholine chloride (AChCl) was most effective, acetylthiocholine iodide and butyrylthiocholine iodide were less effective, and choline chloride was ineffective in stimulating sperm motility. Histochemical localization of cholinesterase activity with the electron microscope showed enzyme activity to be associated with membranes of the head and within fibrillar components of the tail. Increasing concentrations of paraoxon decreased cholinesterase activity and increased sperm motility. The data provide evidence that the motility of avian sperm, like that of mammal and sea urchins, may be regulated in part by a system with similarities to the cholinergic neurotransmitter system.