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Gan M, Jing Y, Xie Z, Ma J, Chen L, Zhang S, Zhao Y, Niu L, Wang Y, Li X, Zhu L, Shen L. Potential Function of Testicular MicroRNAs in Heat-Stress-Induced Spermatogenesis Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108809. [PMID: 37240155 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is temperature-dependent, and the increase in testicular temperature seriously affects mammalian spermatogenesis and semen quality. In this study, the testicular heat stress model of mice was made with a 43 °C water bath for 25 min, and the effects of heat stress on semen quality and spermatogenesis-related regulators were analyzed. On the 7th day after heat stress, testis weight shrank to 68.45% and sperm density dropped to 33.20%. High-throughput sequencing analysis showed that 98 microRNAs (miRNAs) and 369 mRNAs were down-regulated, while 77 miRNAs and 1424 mRNAs were up-regulated after heat stress. Through gene ontology (GO) analysis of differentially expressed genes and miRNA-mRNA co-expression networks, it was found that heat stress may be involved in the regulation of testicular atrophy and spermatogenesis disorders by affecting cell meiosis process and cell cycle. In addition, through functional enrichment analysis, co-expression regulatory network, correlation analysis and in vitro experiment, it was found that miR-143-3p may be a representative potential key regulatory factor affecting spermatogenesis under heat stress. In summary, our results enrich the understanding of miRNAs in testicular heat stress and provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of heat-stress-induced spermatogenesis disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mailin Gan
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yunhong Jing
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Zhongwei Xie
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Jianfeng Ma
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Shunhua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Ye Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Lili Niu
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Xuewei Li
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Li Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Linyuan Shen
- Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, College of Animal and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Farm Animal Genetic Resource Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
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Hodge MJ, Rindfleish SJ, de las Heras-Saldana S, Stephen CP, Pant SD. Heritability and Genetic Parameters for Semen Traits in Australian Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:2946. [PMID: 36359070 PMCID: PMC9658395 DOI: 10.3390/ani12212946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Semen characteristics including volume, gross motility, spermatozoal concentration, and percent post-thaw motility are routinely assessed to determine the quality and quantity of an ejaculate prior to use in artificial breeding programs. Currently, artificial breeding programs in sheep place relatively little emphasis on ram-side factors, such as the fertilising potential of an ejaculate, which may contribute to variability in conception outcomes. Estimating genetic parameters for ejaculate quality and quantity traits could provide insights into whether selective breeding can be used to improve such ram-side traits, improving ovine reproductive performance and farm profitability. Therefore, in this study, a total of 11,470 ejaculate records, including data for ejaculate volume, gross motility, spermatozoal concentration, and percent post-thaw motility, collected over a 20-year period was used to estimate genetic parameters in sheep. Univariate and bivariate mixed model analysis was performed including a variety of fixed effects such as breed, age at collection, centre of collection, collection number, season of collection, and method of collection; and the permanent environmental effects associated with each ram, stud and year of collection, and the breeding value of rams included as random effects. The heritability for ejaculate volume, gross motility, concentration, and percent post-thaw motility was estimated to be 0.161, 0.170, 0.089, and 0.081. Repeatability estimates were moderate, ranging between 0.4126 and 0.5265. Overall, results indicate that semen traits are lowly heritable and moderately repeatable, indicating that these traits are significantly influenced by environmental variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marnie J. Hodge
- School of Agriculture, Environment and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
- Apiam Animal Health, Apiam Genetic Services, Dubbo, NSW 2830, Australia
| | | | | | - Cyril P. Stephen
- School of Agriculture, Environment and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
- Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Boorooma Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
| | - Sameer D. Pant
- School of Agriculture, Environment and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
- Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Boorooma Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia
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Systematic Analysis of Breed, Methodological, and Geographical Impact on Equine Sperm Progressive Motility. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113088. [PMID: 34827820 PMCID: PMC8614490 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Semen quality is an important indicator of reproductive health and fertility. With adverse temporal trends in human semen quality over the past 50 years paralleled in male animals, there is increasing concern for the causes and implications of perturbed male reproductive health. The evaluation of equine progressive motility (PM), a parameter closely associated with fertility, provides information on the fertilising capacity of equine ejaculate and current reproductive health of the equine stallion. Using systematic analysis, recent trends in equine PM were determined from 696 estimates from 280 individual studies. Temporal trends indicate equine PM has not significantly changed between the years 1990 and 2018. Significant breed, methodological, and geographical variations observed in equine PM may considerably influence actual and reported stallion fertility potential. Information on stallion PM meaningfully contributes to the wider literature on semen quality and provides avenues for future stallion fertility research. This systematic analysis presents the wider challenges associated with semen quality assessment, particularly within the equine sector, and provides recommendations to promote consistency across industry and research. Abstract Over the past five decades, there has been increasing evidence to indicate global declines in human semen quality. Parallel adverse trends measured in male animals indicate a potential environmental aetiology. This study evaluated the progressive motility (PM) of stallion ejaculate through a systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 696 estimates of equine PM from 280 studies, which collected semen samples between the years 1990 and 2018, were collated for meta-analysis. The method of motility analysis, breed, season of collection, and geographical location were extracted. Simple linear regression determined temporal trends in stallion PM. Studies using microscopy estimated PM to be significantly greater compared to computer-automated methods (p ≤ 0.001). For Arabian breeds, PM was consistently higher than other breeds. Over time, there was a significant decline in PM for studies from Europe (n = 267) but a significant increase for studies from North America (n = 259). Temporal trends indicate the fertilising capacity of equine ejaculate has remained consistently high in the last three decades. That being so, variations observed suggest methodological, geographical, and individual stallion differences may significantly influence actual and reported stallion fertility potential.
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Lea RG, Byers AS, Sumner RN, Rhind SM, Zhang Z, Freeman SL, Moxon R, Richardson HM, Green M, Craigon J, England GCW. Environmental chemicals impact dog semen quality in vitro and may be associated with a temporal decline in sperm motility and increased cryptorchidism. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31281. [PMID: 27503122 PMCID: PMC4977511 DOI: 10.1038/srep31281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Adverse temporal trends in human semen quality and cryptorchidism in infants have been associated with exposure to environmental chemicals (ECs) during development. Here we report that a population of breeding dogs exhibit a 26 year (1988-2014) decline in sperm quality and a concurrent increased incidence of cryptorchidism in male offspring (1995-2014). A decline in the number of males born relative to the number of females was also observed. ECs, including diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and polychlorinated biphenyl 153 (PCB153), were detected in adult dog testes and commercial dog foods at concentrations reported to perturb reproductive function in other species. Testicular concentrations of DEHP and PCB153 perturbed sperm viability, motility and DNA integrity in vitro but did not affect LH stimulated testosterone secretion from adult testis explants. The direct effects of chemicals on sperm may therefore contribute to the decline in canine semen quality that parallels that reported in the human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard G. Lea
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK
- School of Animal Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, UK
| | - Andrew S. Byers
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Rebecca N. Sumner
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Stewart M. Rhind
- Environmental and Biochemical Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, UK
| | - Zulin Zhang
- Environmental and Biochemical Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, UK
| | - Sarah L. Freeman
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Rachel Moxon
- National Breeding Centre, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, UK
| | | | - Martin Green
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Jim Craigon
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, UK
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Deng Z, Chen F, Zhang M, Lan L, Qiao Z, Cui Y, An J, Wang N, Fan Z, Zhao X, Li X. Association between air pollution and sperm quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 208:663-9. [PMID: 26552539 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Revised: 10/22/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to ambient air pollution has been clearly linked to adverse reproductive outcome and fecundation index, but its effects on male semen quality are still uncertain. In this study, we reviewed information from ten studies to get the qualitative evidence of the influence of the ambient air pollution on sperm quality and collected data from six of the ten studies to conduct meta-analysis. The original studies classified participants into different exposure levels and the highest and lowest expose levels were chosen as high expose and low expose groups, respectively. The random-effect model was used in the meta-analysis with the weight mean difference (WMD) as the measure indicator. The WMDs (95% confidence intervals, CIs) of sperm volume, sperm count, semen concentration, sperm progressive motility, total motility, and normal morphology were 0.09 (-0.04, 0.23), 0.46 (-4.47, 5.39), -8.21 (-20.38, 3.96), -7.76 (-16.26, 0.74), -7.61 (-16.97, 1.74) and -3.40 (-7.42, 0.62), respectively. In conclusion, although the differences are not statistically significant between the two groups, the overall trends and evidence from this review indicate the chronic exposure to ambient pollutants at high level may alter men sperm quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zibing Deng
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Fei Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Meixia Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Lan Lan
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zhijiao Qiao
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yan Cui
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jinghuan An
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zhiwei Fan
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xing Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Xiaosong Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Snoj T, Kobal S, Premrov Bajuk B, Zuzek M, Cebulj-Kadunc N, Majdic G. Retrospective study of bull semen quality - possible correlation with pesticide use? Acta Vet Hung 2013; 61:495-504. [PMID: 23974929 DOI: 10.1556/avet.2013.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Decline in semen quality in humans and increased incidence of male reproductive problems could be caused by different factors, including pesticides that could mimic or block the action of endogenous hormones. If the decline in semen quality is real, and environmental chemicals are at least partially responsible for this decline, similar changes should be observed in animals that live in close connection with humans and are exposed to similar levels of pollutants. In the present study, the semen quality of bulls in the last 30 years was examined with respect to the year of birth. Furthermore, semen quality results were correlated to the total pesticide use in a limited geographical area. The results indicate a notable decrease in both ejaculate volume and total number of spermatozoa in ejaculates of bulls born in the late 1970s, while after that (until 2006) there was no obvious downward or upward trend either in ejaculate volume or in the total number of sperm cells. The amount of pesticides released into the environment increased about twofold in the given period, and linear regression analysis revealed a strong and statistically significant correlation between the amount of pesticides used and the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomaz Snoj
- 1 University of Ljubljana Institute of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Veterinary Faculty Ljubljana Slovenia
| | - Silvestra Kobal
- 1 University of Ljubljana Institute of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Veterinary Faculty Ljubljana Slovenia
| | - Blanka Premrov Bajuk
- 1 University of Ljubljana Institute of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Veterinary Faculty Ljubljana Slovenia
| | - Monika Zuzek
- 1 University of Ljubljana Institute of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Veterinary Faculty Ljubljana Slovenia
| | - Nina Cebulj-Kadunc
- 1 University of Ljubljana Institute of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Veterinary Faculty Ljubljana Slovenia
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Abstract
Summary
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8
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Time trends, environmental factors and genetic basis of semen traits collected in Holstein bulls under commercial conditions. Anim Reprod Sci 2011; 124:28-38. [PMID: 21377297 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2011.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2010] [Revised: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 02/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The fact that results of artificial insemination (AI) are declining in highly selected dairy cattle populations has added a renewed interest to the evaluation of male fertility. Data from 42,348 ejaculates collected from 1990 to 2007 on 502 Holstein bulls were analysed in a Bayesian framework to provide estimates of the evolution of semen traits routinely collected in AI centres throughout the last decades of intense selection for production traits and estimate genetic parameters. The traits under consideration were volume (VOL), concentration (CONC), number of spermatozoa per ejaculate (NESPZ), mass motility score (MM), individual motility (IM), and post-thawing motility (PTM). The environmental factors studied were year-season and week of collection, which account for changes in environmental and technical conditions along time, age at collection, ejaculate order, time from previous collection (TPC) and time between collection and freezing (TCF) (only for PTM). Bull's inbreeding coefficient (Fi), bull's permanent environmental and additive genetic effects were also considered. The use of reduced models was evaluated using the Bayes factor. For all the systematic effects tested, strong or very strong evidence in favour of including the effect in the model was obtained, except for Fi for motility traits and TCF for PTM. No systematic time trends for environment or bull effects were observed, except for PTM, which showed an increasing environmental trend, associated with improvements in freezing-thawing protocols. Heritability estimates were moderate (0.16-0.22), except for IM, which presented a low value (0.07). Genetic correlations among motilities and between motilities and CONC were large and positive [0.38-0.87], VOL showed a negative correlation with CONC (-0.13) but with ample HPD 95%. The magnitude of heritabilities would allow an efficient selection if required and grants the use of these traits as indicators of the sperm viability component of bulls breeding soundness.
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