Molecular Constraints of Sperm Sex Sorting via TLR7/8 Activation
Magauiya A. Torebek K. Savvulidi F.G. Ptáček M. LeBrun C. Langerová L. Sagdat E. Baikoshkarova S. Malmakov N.
October 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Animals
2025#15Issue 20
In modern livestock, the demand for sperm sex selection technologies is high, as the ability to deliberately produce offspring of a specific sex offers significant economic advantages. Traditionally, sperm sorting is performed using Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting. However, the flow cytometric method is expensive, technically complex, and associated with reduced sperm viability. An alternative promising method involves the use of Toll-like TLR7/8 receptors for the selective binding of spermatozoa of a particular sex. It was discovered previously that the activation of TLR7/8 by its ligand(s) selectively inhibits the motility of X-bearing sperm without affecting the motility of Y-bearing sperm. The swim-up technique, which separates sperm based on sex chromosome type by isolating fractions enriched in either X- or Y-bearing gametes due to differences in their motility, can be used with this method. Sperm sex sorting via the TLR7/8 activation is cheap, technically non-complex, and does not affect sperm viability negatively. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the TLR7/8-dependent sperm sorting method. Further, we discuss why the method of sperm sorting via TLR7/8 activation is successfully implemented in some animal species (such as murine, caprine, ovine, and bovine) but fails in others, like swine and canine.
activation of TLR7/8 , artificial insemination , bovine , canine , caprine , livestock , murine , ovine , R848 , species-specific differences , sperm motility , sperm sexing , swine
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Meat Sheep Breeding Department, Kazakh Research Institute of Livestock and Fodder Production, Almaty, 050 035, Kazakhstan
Ecomed-Shymkent, Shymkent, 160 023, Kazakhstan
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS), Prague, 165 00, Czech Republic
Ecomed, Almaty, 050 009, Kazakhstan
New Generation Clinic, Almaty, A15E2H1, Kazakhstan
Meat Sheep Breeding Department
Ecomed-Shymkent
Department of Animal Science
Ecomed
New Generation Clinic
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