We are interested in understanding how sperm cells modulate their composition and maintain their functionality under different environmental challenges. Specifically, we explore how dietary lipids (fats, oils, and sterols) affect male fertility. We employ the fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism and use various approaches to measure male fertility. We analyze sperm characteristics (numbers, sizes, and motilities), their lipid composition (thin layer chromatography and mass spectrometry), and their metabolism (advanced live-imaging confocal microscopy and FLIM). Additionally, we explore how different diet regimes (vegetal vs. animal fats) at different temperatures impact male fertility.

Topics of interest:

• How seminal fluid affects sperm activity.
• How different diets affect mitochondrial function.
• How diets affect sperm usage and aging after mating.
• Lipid metabolism in testis and effects in spermatogenesis.