| Grant number: | 21/12716-7 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| Start date: | August 01, 2024 |
| End date: | July 31, 2026 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Zoology |
| Principal Investigator: | Inácio de Loiola Meirelles Junqueira de Azevedo |
| Grantee: | Karina Maria Pereira da Silva |
| Host Institution: | Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated research grant: | 16/50127-5 - Dimensions US-BIOTA São Paulo: scales of biodiversity: integrated studies of snake venom evolution and function across multiple levels of diversity, AP.BTA.TEM |
Abstract Female snake can store sperm in the reproductive tract up to six years, representing the longest storage time among vertebrates. On the other hand, male snakes, in the absence of a seminal vesicle, prostate or other accessory sex glands, have secretory kidneys that play a secondary reproductive role. Although several anatomical studies have focused on the reproduction of snakes, the biochemical and molecular bases involved in the processes of storage and prolonged viability of spermatozoa, have not yet been fully elucidated. Studies on birds and mammals report that the contact of the spermatozoa with the epithelial cells of the oviduct triggers the synthesis of heat shock proteins, which would be associated with the viability of spermatozoa. In snakes, it has been suggested that secretions from the sexual segment of the kidney (SSK) would increase sperm viability. This project aims to describe the molecular basis and evaluate the biochemical mechanisms involved in the activation and regulation of sperm storage in the oviduct of the snake Bothrops jararaca, as well as for the production of the secretion in SSK. The proteins and gene expression in the oviduct and in the SSK will be evaluated using transcriptomic and proteomic methods. Additionally, the composition of polysaccharides in both storage regions in the oviduct, nonglandular uterus and posterior infundibulum, will be evaluated using histochemical techniques. Our hypothesis is that both the SSK and the oviduct express proteins involved in the maintenance of sperm viability, and the regulation of expression is probably associated with the reproductive periods of the species. The better understanding of sperm storage in snakes will provide new perspectives for studies of semen preservation and for the processes of aging and cell death. | |
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