Objective
The scientific objectives of this project are to increase our knowledge of the influence of lipids on the function of avian spermatozoa in vitro and in vivo, including: the effect of sperm membrane content of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the regulation of sperm motility and sperm-egg interaction; the identification of the endogenous lipids which appear to be the natural substrate for spermatozoa in vivo; and the sperm metabolic system which causes spermatozoa to produce and inactivate the products of oxygen free radicals, including lipid peroxides.
The technological objectives of the project are to improve the fertility of poultry by increasing the fertilising ability of spermatozoa, particularly after storage in vitro by the techniques of low-temperature aerobic storage, which is used for short term (8-24h) storage of poultry semen, and of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen for long-term gene banking. This will be attempted by manipulating the diet of cockerels to increase their sperm content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and thus their membrane fluidity and resistance to cold shock. By similar dietary means, the sperm-content of antioxidants such as alpha-tocopherol will be increased and the effect of this on the maintenance of sperm fertilising ability in vitro, known to be limited by the peroxidation of sperm lipids, will be assessed.
The work will be carried out mainly in the Ukrainian institute. As an integral part of the work, the senior NIS staff will visit the French and Scottish laboratories for technical demonstrations and provision of certain assays not available at Kharkov. The programme will commence with a meeting in Scotland involving all the participants.
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
Data not availableCoordinator
DD1 1HG Dundee
United Kingdom