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Zhang Y, Peng Y, Wang Y, Xu J, Yan H. Novel underlying genetic markers for asthenozoospermia due to abnormal spermatogenesis and reproductive organ inflammation. Exp Ther Med 2024; 27:146. [PMID: 38476923 PMCID: PMC10928817 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2024.12434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Asthenozoospermia, a male fertility disorder, has a complex and multifactorial etiology. Moreover, the effectiveness of different treatments for asthenozoospermia remains uncertain. Hence, by using bioinformatics techniques, the present study aimed to determine the underlying genetic markers and pathogenetic mechanisms associated with asthenozoospermia due to abnormal spermatogenesis and inflammation of the reproductive tract. GSE160749 dataset was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and the data were filtered to obtain 1336 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with asthenozoospermia. These DEGs were intersected with the epithelial mesenchymal transition datasets to yield 61 candidate DEGs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed, and the results revealed that these candidate DEGs were significantly enriched in the enzyme-linked receptor pathway and the thyroid hormone pathway. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed to identify the key genes of asthenozoospermia. A total of five key genes were identified, among which SOX9 was significantly upregulated, while HSPA4, SMAD2, HIF1A and GSK3B were significantly downregulated. These findings were validated by conducting reverse transcription-quantitative PCR for clinical semen samples. To determine the underlying molecular mechanisms, a regulatory network of transcription factors and miRNA-mRNA interactions was predicted. The expression levels of HSPA4, SMAD2 and GSK3B were positively associated with several related etiological genes of asthenozoospermia. In total, five key genes were closely associated with the level and type of immune cells; higher levels of activated B cells and CD8 T cells were observed in asthenozoospermia. Thus, the findings of the present study may provide clues to determine the underlying novel diagnostic genetic markers and treatment strategies for asthenozoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaodong Zhang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The 971st Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Qindao, Shandong 266071, P.R. China
| | - Yun Peng
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Yao Wang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Jian Xu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Hongli Yan
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
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Izadi M, Khalili MA, Rezvani ME, Anbari F, Maleki B, Woodward B, Aflatoonian B. Sperm Selection Using Zona Pellucida-Binding Enhanced Embryo Morphokinetic and Clinical Outcomes in ICSI: A Sibling Oocytes Study. Am J Mens Health 2024; 18:15579883241228236. [PMID: 38279800 PMCID: PMC10822090 DOI: 10.1177/15579883241228236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The objective was to investigate the embryo morphokinitics using a time-lapse monitoring (TLM) system and assessment of clinical outcomes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with zona pellucida (ZP)-bound sperm selection and conventional methods. A total of 371 metaphase II (MII) oocytes from 50 ICSI cycles were studied. Sibling oocytes were randomly divided into control (n = 199) and ZP-bound group (n = 172). All resulting zygotes were cultured and monitored in the TLM system up to Day 3 after ICSI. Fertilization rate, early embryo development, and clinical outcomes were evaluated. No significant differences were found in fertilization rate, time-lapse qualitative and quantitative measures, pronuclear fading time (PNF) t2, t3, t4, t5, t6, and t7 (times of cleavage to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 cells), respectively. However, the t8 (time of cleavage to eight cells) and cc3 (duration of third cell cycle) revealed a significant difference between control and ZP-bound groups (p < .05). A significant difference between the two groups (p < .05) in the rates of Grade A embryos (according to Basile algorithm), chemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, and implantation was observed. Sperm selection using biological materials, such as ZP, improved both embryo quality and pregnancy outcomes, despite not affecting the early embryo development and morphokinetic parameters up to t8. This prospective randomized sibling oocyte trial was registered in October 2020 to January 2022 (IRCT20200705048021N1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahin Izadi
- Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Department of Reproductive Biology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Khalili
- Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Department of Reproductive Biology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ebrahim Rezvani
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Anbari
- Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Department of Reproductive Biology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Behnam Maleki
- Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Infertility Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | | | - Behrouz Aflatoonian
- Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Department of Reproductive Biology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Stem Cell Biology Research Center, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
- Department of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, School of Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
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Pang WK, Park YJ, Pang MG. Development of a biomolecular approach to identify sperm functions and fertility using sperm RNAs. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1308167. [PMID: 38116206 PMCID: PMC10728490 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1308167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Infertility affects a significant percentage of couples worldwide, and male factors contribute significantly to this problem. Traditional assessments of male fertility rely primarily on parameters such as sperm motility, morphology, viability, and concentration. However, these metrics often do not provide a comprehensive understanding of sperm function, which is critical not only for fertilization but also for successful embryo development. Herein, we used porcine spermatozoa as a model to investigate the potential of sperm RNA markers in assessing various aspects of sperm function from motility to fertility. Using artificial insemination, we evaluated male fertility based on the litter size of sows inseminated with sperm from 20 boars. In addition, we measured parameters such as weaning rate, death births, live births, and mummy births. Sperm functional parameters, including motility and kinematics, were assessed before and after in vitro capacitation. Finally, correlations between various sperm functional parameters and sperm RNA markers were explored. Our results revealed interesting relationships between sperm functional parameters. While motility and kinematics were correlated, they were not correlated with sperm capacitation status. Surprisingly, no significant correlations were found between these parameters and male fertility. However, specific parameters of sperm capacitation status after in vitro capacitation were correlated with weaning rate and live births, highlighting their importance in predicting successful fertilization. Further analysis of sperm RNA markers identified genes related to male fertility, including IZUMO1, known for its role in sperm-egg fusion. These genes showed correlations with motility, capacitation, and fertilization parameters, shedding light on their potential roles in sperm function. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that sperm RNA markers hold promise for the diagnosis and prognosis of various aspects of sperm function, providing valuable insights into male infertility. These markers may serve as diagnostic tools to improve our understanding of male fertility problems, ultimately benefiting couples struggling with infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Myung-Geol Pang
- Department of Animal Science and Technology and BET Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
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Vasisth R, Gurao A, Kumari N, Kumar G, Kumar A, Sriranga KR, Dige MS, Mukesh M, Aggarwal RAK, Singh P, Kataria RS. Development and validation of most efficient RNA isolation method from buffalo bull spermatozoa. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:6717-6727. [PMID: 37378747 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08593-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Being highly fragmented and low in concentration, isolation of good quality RNA from sperm cells is a big challenge. Attempts have been made to evaluate various sperm RNA isolation methods from purified buffalo bull sperm cells. METHODS Both, non-membrane and membrane-based methods have been evaluated for isolating RNA from Murrah buffalo sperms and compared for their respective efficacies. The traditional TRIzol, TRIzol-heat lysed (H-TRIzol) and cocktail of TCEP-RLT lysis buffer (Qiagen RNeasy mini kit)-TRIzol (C-TRIzol) based isopropanol isolation methods have been evaluated. RESULTS H-TRIzol yielded best results among conventional methods. The combined T-RLT RNA isolation protocol yielded best quality and quantity compared to other membrane-based methods, due to high lytic property of cocktail of lysis reagents, necessary for complete breakdown of sperm membrane and RNA binding membrane for RNA isolation. Combined lysis performed by treatment with RLT-T and T-RLT differing in order of reagents used were also evaluated. T-RLT combination giving better results compared to RLT-T due to high gDNA contamination and membrane clogging in later protocol steps. CONCLUSION Overall, in terms of total RNA quantity and quality per million spermatozoa, the heat-lysed TRIzol method (H-TRIzol) performs best among RNA separation techniques employed and is also quite easy to perform. This comparative evaluation of sperm RNA isolation protocols can be useful in deciding the best protocol for isolation of good quality and high concentration sperm RNA from buffalo semen, for transcriptome and other downstream studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashi Vasisth
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
- ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Ankita Gurao
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Namita Kumari
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Gautam Kumar
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Anurag Kumar
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | | | - Mahesh Shivanand Dige
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Manishi Mukesh
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Rajeev Anand Kumar Aggarwal
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Pawan Singh
- ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Ranjit Singh Kataria
- Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India.
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