Capacitation-associated Protein Tyrosine Phosphorylation as a Possible Biomarker of Sperm Selection

Sperm undergo complex selection processes and physiological changes as they move through the female reproductive tract. Ejaculated-sperm must undergo a set of molecular and biochemical changes globally named as capacitation in order to acquire the ability to fertilize the oocyte. These changes include post-translational modifications of sperm proteins, with phosphorylation of tyrosine residues being one of the most outstanding characteristics of the capacitation process. In the laboratory, the capacitation process is recreated artificially before performing artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization treatments. The sample is then incubated until it is used in the treatment. Reproductive success rates can be affected by differences in incubation times and levels of capacitation of the sample. In this study, the investigators intend to study the capacitation state of the sample by measuring the levels of phosphorylation of the tyrosine residues of the proteins contained in the sperm that have already been subjected to the capacitation process in vitro.