Ion Channels, Sperm Motility, & Fertility - The Chung Lab at Yale School of Medicine

Transcript

• 00:05Working on male reproduction and
• 00:07male infertility or fertility
• 00:09is not only contribute to
• 00:11improve, male reproductive health, but
• 00:13certainly you can see
• 00:15it helps female reproduction
• 00:17because, you know, it is
• 00:19always working together.
• 00:24My lab studies ion channels
• 00:26and other signaling molecules in
• 00:28reproduction,
• 00:28trying to understand
• 00:30how they regulate,
• 00:32processes in fertilization.
• 00:35Casper is one of the
• 00:37ion channels specifically found in
• 00:39the tail of a sperm
• 00:41cells.
• 00:42Ion channels are key proteins
• 00:44in the cell membranes.
• 00:46They allow ions
• 00:48such as sodium, potassium, and
• 00:50calcium in and out of
• 00:51the cells.
• 00:53The activation of Casper
• 00:55lets calcium in, and the
• 00:56calcium is required for
• 00:59switching motility pattern
• 01:01into more vigorous and whip
• 01:03like motion that's necessary for
• 01:06efficiently navigate in the very
• 01:08viscous,
• 01:09environment in the female reproductive
• 01:11tract and also
• 01:13penetrate the outer layer of
• 01:15the egg.
• 01:17Without proper activity of the
• 01:18Casper, for example,
• 01:20human with a Casper mutation,
• 01:23they are
• 01:24hundred percent,
• 01:25male infertile.
• 01:29We use really a variety
• 01:31of methods ranging
• 01:33from human genetics
• 01:35to electrophysiology,
• 01:37biochemistry,
• 01:39and functional imaging of our
• 01:41life cells.
• 01:43One unique technology we routinely
• 01:46use is a super resolution
• 01:48microscopy
• 01:48because sperm cells are the
• 01:50smallest cells in the body.
• 01:52Using super resolution microscope that
• 01:55break the diffraction limit of
• 01:56light, you can have a
• 01:58spatial information of molecules in
• 02:01sperm tails.
• 02:02So we have a confocal
• 02:04and super resolution combination unit
• 02:06together with a live cell,
• 02:07imaging setup. So it's heavily
• 02:09microscopy lab.
• 02:15By understanding
• 02:16Casper function better and then
• 02:18finding ways to activate Casper
• 02:20function
• 02:21actually helped find a way
• 02:23to potentially,
• 02:24treat male infertility.
• 02:27Many steps in, fertility treatment
• 02:30are on females, regardless of
• 02:32whether the cause is a
• 02:34male or female factor. So
• 02:36reducing even one cycle of
• 02:39IVF by improving sperm function,
• 02:41even in vitro,
• 02:42vitro, it means a lot.
• 02:45Understanding
• 02:46Casper channel
• 02:47is basically enhanced fundamental
• 02:50understanding of how ion channels
• 02:52work and also how calcium
• 02:54signaling works, which is like
• 02:57a, you know, broader implication
• 02:58in cell biology and beyond.
• 03:00So it's really rewarding that
• 03:03in this area of research,
• 03:05which I can have a
• 03:06basic science research and then
• 03:08have a potential translation application
• 03:10which can, you know, impact
• 03:12human society.