Sperm Chemotaxis - Sperm Chemotaxis in Non-mammalian Species - Chemoattractants

Chemoattractants

The sperm chemoattractants in non-mammalian species vary to a large extent. Some examples are shown in Table 1. So far, most sperm chemoattractants that have been identified in non-mammalian species are peptides or low-molecular-weight proteins (1-20 kDa), which are heat stable and sensitive to proteases (Cosson, 1990; Miller, 1985). Exceptions to this rule are the sperm chemoattractants of corals, ascidians, plants such as ferns, and algae (Table 1).