Overview
- An MSU-led team with partners at Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Van Andel Institute reports in PNAS how sperm shift from low to high energy states during activation.
- Using a specialized metabolic-tracing technique, the study tracked how glucose is processed inside sperm in real time.
- Results identify aldolase as a key enzyme increasing glucose flux during activation, effectively powering the sprint toward fertilization.
- Experiments indicate sperm draw on internal fuel stores and can use multiple sugars, including glucose and fructose, to meet energy demands.
- Findings suggest enzyme targets for reversible, nonhormonal, on-demand contraception and could improve infertility diagnostics, though translation to human applications remains preclinical.