# Crosstalk between metabolic and signaling pathways involved in sperm capacitation

> **NIH NIH R01** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2020 · $501,946

## Abstract

Summary/Abstract (no more than 30 lines)
Mammalian sperm acquire fertilization capacity as they transit through the
reproductive tract in a process known as capacitation. During capacitation, sperm
change their motility pattern and become competent to undergo an acrosome
reaction and fertilize an egg. Capacitation-associated processes require energy.
Similar to somatic cells, sperm generate ATP and other high energy compounds
using nutrients in their surroundings via the coordinated actions of numerous
metabolic pathways, including glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative
phosphorylation. In sperm, it remains unclear how these pathways are
coordinately regulated to generate sufficient energy for motility and capacitation.
In this application, we propose to apply modern metabolite profiling combined
with metabolic flux analysis to sperm physiology to identify the contributions of
the different metabolic pathways used by sperm. These studies will test the
central hypothesis that sperm actively up-regulate their metabolism during
capacitation to generate sufficient energy for motility and other capacitation-
associated processes necessary for fertilization. Soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC)
is essential for the molecular changes observed during capacitation. In other
contexts, sAC is a metabolic sensor. Therefore, we will also test the hypothesis
that sAC acts as a metabolic sensor in sperm which regulates the metabolic
changes induced by capacitation, and regulates energy production during
sustained sperm motility.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9964863
- **Project number:** 5R01HD088571-04
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** JOCHEN BUCK
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $501,946
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-21 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9964863

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9964863, Crosstalk between metabolic and signaling pathways involved in sperm capacitation (5R01HD088571-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9964863. Licensed CC0.

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