TY - JOUR AU - Gong, A. AU - Rode, S. AU - Kaupp, U. B. AU - Gompper, G. AU - Elgeti, J. AU - Friedrich, B. M. AU - Alvarez, L. TI - The steering gaits of sperm JO - Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London / B Biological sciences Series B VL - 375 IS - 1792 SN - 1471-2970 CY - London M1 - FZJ-2020-00519 SP - 20190149 PY - 2020 AB - Sperm are highly specialized cells, which have been subject to substantial evolutionary pressure. Whereas some sperm features are highly conserved, others have undergone major modifications. Some of these variations are driven by adaptation to mating behaviours or fitness at the organismic level. Others represent alternative solutions to the same task. Sperm must find the egg for fertilization. During this task, sperm rely on long slender appendages termed flagella that serve as sensory antennas, propellers and steering rudders. The beat of the flagellum is periodic. The resulting travelling wave generates the necessary thrust for propulsion in the fluid. Recent studies reveal that, for steering, different species rely on different fundamental features of the beat wave. Here, we discuss some examples of unity and diversity across sperm from different species with a particular emphasis on the steering mechanisms. LB - PUB:(DE-HGF)16 C6 - pmid:31884910 UR - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000504879700003 DO - DOI:10.1098/rstb.2019.0149 UR - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/873070 ER -