pH-dependent effects of procaine on equine gamete activation(†)

Procaine directly triggers pH-dependent cytokinesis in equine oocytes and induces hypermotility in stallion spermatozoa, an important event during capacitation. However, procaine-induced hyperactivated motility is abolished when sperm is washed to remove the procaine prior to sperm-oocyte co-incubation. To understand how procaine exerts its effects, the external Ca(2+) and Na(+) and weak base activity dependency of procaine-induced hyperactivation in stallion spermatozoa was assessed using computer-assisted sperm analysis. Percoll-washed stallion spermatozoa exposed to Ca(2+)-depleted (+2 mM EGTA) procaine-supplemented capacitating medium (CM) still demonstrated hyperactivated motility, whereas CM without NaCl or Na(+) did not. Both procaine and NH(4)Cl, another weak base, were shown to trigger a cytoplasmic pH increase (BCECF-acetoxymethyl (AM)), which is primarily induced by a pH rise in acidic cell organelles (Lysosensor green dnd-189), accompanied by hypermotility in stallion sperm. As for procaine, 25 mM NH(4)Cl also induced oocyte cytokinesis. Interestingly, hyperactivated motility was reliably induced by 2.5–10 mM procaine, whereas a significant cytoplasmic cAMP increase and tail-associated protein tyrosine phosphorylation were only observed at 10 mM. Moreover, 25 mM NH(4)Cl did not support the latter capacitation characteristics. Additionally, cAMP levels were more than 10× higher in boar than stallion sperm incubated under similar capacitating conditions. Finally, stallion sperm preincubated with 10 mM procaine did not fertilize equine oocytes. In conclusion, 10 mM procaine causes a cytoplasmic and acidic sperm cell organelle pH rise that simultaneously induces hyperactivated motility, increased levels of cAMP and tail-associated protein tyrosine phosphorylation in stallion spermatozoa. However, procaine-induced hypermotility is independent of the cAMP/protein tyrosine phosphorylation pathway.