Linked Life Data

17606809

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/17606809

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
14
pubmed:dateCreated
2007-11-30
pubmed:abstractText
Human cervical mucus is a heterogeneous mixture of mucin glycoproteins whose relative concentration changes during the ovulatory phases, thereby producing different mucus aggregation structures that can periodically permit the transit of spermatozoa for fertilization. In preovulatory phase, mucus is arranged in compact fiber-like structures where sperm transit is hindered. Previously, through observations made of fixed and dehydrated samples, a permissive structure in the ovulatory phase was attributed to the larger diameters of pores in the mucus network. Instead, by means of atomic force microscopy, we can show, for the first time, that unfixed ovulatory mucus is composed by floating globules of mucin aggregates. This finding sheds new light on the mechanism that governs spermatozoa transit toward the uterine cavity. In addition, we demonstrate that the switch from globular ovulatory to fibrous preovulatory mucus largely depends on a pH-driven mechanism. Analysis of mucin 5B primary sequence, the main mucin in ovulatory mucus, highlights pH-sensitive domains that are associated to flexible regions prone to drive aggregation. We suggest an involvement of these domains in the fiber-to-globule switch in cervical mucus.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Dec
pubmed:issn
1530-6860
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
21
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
3872-6
pubmed:dateRevised
2010-11-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Globular structure of human ovulatory cervical mucus.
pubmed:affiliation
Dipartimento di Scienze Ginecologiche, Perinatologia e Puericultura, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't