BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

On the Move

Contractions of the seminiferous tubules propel immobile immature sperm

06 March 2021

On the Move

Travelling 5 millimetres in one minute sounds slow. But if you’re a human sperm, it’s pretty speedy. While mature sperm can whizz about, immature sperm are immobile. So how do they move through the tubes in the testicles (seminiferous tubules) where they’re made? Researchers investigated in mice using live cell imaging of the tubules to measure the flow of fluid through them. They found the flow matched the contractions of muscle-like cells in the tubule walls, pictured here (red) in a 3D reconstruction of mouse testes compiled using fluorescence confocal microscopy. Contractions were detected by fluorescently tagging and imaging calcium levels in these cells, which rise when they contract. It’s these coordinated contractions that propel the immature sperm through the tubules. This builds a clearer picture of how immobile sperm get moving.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.