The (patho)physiology of ion channels in human sperm

• Applicants: Dr. Christoph Brenker; Professor Dr. Timo Strünker
• Subject Area: Reproductive Medicine, Urology
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 329621271

Male infertility is often due to defective sperm production, morphology, motility, or combinations thereof. However, a large fraction of infertile patients is normozoospermic, indicating that the infertility rests on a dysfunction of the sperm. The underlying mechanisms are largely unknown, precluding an evidence-based treatment decision. To fertilize the egg, human sperm fulfil several demanding tasks that are orchestrated by the sperm-specific ion channels CatSper and Slo3. There is a growing body of evidence that, as yet, unexplained sperm dysfunction involves the loss of CatSper and/or Slo3 function. In this research endeavour, by a function-to-gene approach and using novel experimental tools, we investigate CatSper and Slo3 in sperm from patients seeking for assisted reproduction. Thereby, we shed light on the mechanisms underlying sperm dysfunction and male infertility, enable evidence-based treatment decisions, and gain novel insights into the physiology and pathophysiology of CatSper and Slo3 in human sperm. In particular, we want to elucidate how CatSper and Slo3 interplay to control sperm function and, thereby, the fertilization process.

• DFG Programme: Clinical Research Units
• Subproject of: KFO 326: Male Germ Cells: from Genes to Function