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Kumar L, Solanki S, Jain A, Botts M, Gupta R, Rajput S, Roti Roti E. MAPKs signaling is obligatory for male reproductive function in a development-specific manner. FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH 2024; 6:1330161. [PMID: 38406668 PMCID: PMC10885697 DOI: 10.3389/frph.2024.1330161] [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: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) represent widely expressed and evolutionarily conserved proteins crucial for governing signaling pathways and playing essential roles in mammalian male reproductive processes. These proteins facilitate the transmission of signals through phosphorylation cascades, regulating diverse intracellular functions encompassing germ cell development in testis, physiological maturation of spermatozoa within the epididymis, and motility regulation at ejaculation in the female reproductive tract. The conservation of these mechanisms appears prevalent across species, including humans, mice, and, to a limited extent, livestock species such as bovines. In Sertoli cells (SCs), MAPK signaling not only regulates the proliferation of immature SCs but also determines the appropriate number of SCs in the testes at puberty, thereby maintaining male fertility by ensuring the capacity for sperm cell production. In germ cells, MAPKs play a crucial role in dynamically regulating testicular cell-cell junctions, supporting germ cell proliferation and differentiation. Throughout spermatogenesis, MAPK signaling ensures the appropriate Sertoli-to-germ cell ratio by regulating apoptosis, controlling the metabolism of developing germ cells, and facilitating the maturation of spermatozoa within the cauda epididymis. During ejaculation in the female reproductive tract, MAPKs regulate two pivotal events-capacitation and the acrosome reaction essential for maintaining the fertility potential of sperm cells. Any disruptions in MAPK pathway signaling possibly may disturb the testicular microenvironment homeostasis, sperm physiology in the male body before ejaculation and in the female reproductive tract during fertilization, ultimately compromising male fertility. Despite decades of research, the physiological function of MAPK pathways in male reproductive health remains inadequately understood. The current review attempts to combine recent findings to elucidate the impact of MAPK signaling on male fertility and proposes future directions to enhance our understanding of male reproductive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lokesh Kumar
- Genus Breeding India Pvt Ltd., Pune, India
- GenusPlc, ABS Global, Windsor, WI, United States
| | - Subhash Solanki
- Genus Breeding India Pvt Ltd., Pune, India
- GenusPlc, ABS Global, Windsor, WI, United States
| | - Ashish Jain
- Department of Microbiology, Smt. CHM College, University of Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, India
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Lyu T, Yang X, Zhao C, Wang L, Zhou S, Shi L, Dong Y, Dou H, Zhang H. Comparative transcriptomics of high-altitude Vulpes and their low-altitude relatives. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.999411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The harsh environment of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) imposes strong selective stresses (e.g., hypoxia, high UV-radiation, and extreme temperature) to the native species, which have driven striking phenotypic and genetic adaptations. Although the mechanisms of high-altitude adaptation have been explored for many plateau species, how the phylogenetic background contributes to genetic adaption to high-altitude of Vulpes is largely unknown. In this study, we sequenced transcriptomic data across multiple tissues of two high-altitude Vulpes (Vulpes vulpes montana and Vulpes ferrilata) and their low-altitude relatives (Vulpes corsac and Vulpes lagopus) to search the genetic and gene expression changes caused by high-altitude environment. The results indicated that the positive selection genes (PSGs) identified by both high-altitude Vulpes are related to angiogenesis, suggesting that angiogenesis may be the result of convergent evolution of Vulpes in the face of hypoxic selection pressure. In addition, more PSGs were detected in V. ferrilata than in V. v. montana, which may be related to the longer adaptation time of V. ferrilata to plateau environment and thus more genetic changes. Besides, more PSGs associated with high-altitude adaptation were identified in V. ferrilata compared with V. v. montana, indicating that the longer the adaptation time to the high-altitude environment, the more genetic alterations of the species. Furthermore, the result of expression profiles revealed a tissue-specific pattern between Vulpes. We also observed that differential expressed genes in the high-altitude group exhibited species-specific expression patterns, revealed a convergent expression pattern of Vulpes in high-altitude environment. In general, our research provides a valuable transcriptomic resource for further studies, and expands our understanding of high-altitude adaptation within a phylogenetic context.
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Hou C, Li Y, Wang M, Wu H, Li T. Systematic prediction of degrons and E3 ubiquitin ligase binding via deep learning. BMC Biol 2022; 20:162. [PMID: 35836176 PMCID: PMC9281121 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01364-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Degrons are short linear motifs, bound by E3 ubiquitin ligase to target protein substrates to be degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Mutations leading to deregulation of degron functionality disrupt control of protein abundance due to mistargeting of proteins destined for degradation and often result in pathologies. Targeting degrons by small molecules also emerges as an exciting drug design strategy to upregulate the expression of specific proteins. Despite their essential function and disease targetability, reliable identification of degrons remains a conundrum. Here, we developed a deep learning-based model named Degpred that predicts general degrons directly from protein sequences. RESULTS We showed that the BERT-based model performed well in predicting degrons singly from protein sequences. Then, we used the deep learning model Degpred to predict degrons proteome-widely. Degpred successfully captured typical degron-related sequence properties and predicted degrons beyond those from motif-based methods which use a handful of E3 motifs to match possible degrons. Furthermore, we calculated E3 motifs using predicted degrons on the substrates in our collected E3-substrate interaction dataset and constructed a regulatory network of protein degradation by assigning predicted degrons to specific E3s with calculated motifs. Critically, we experimentally verified that a predicted SPOP binding degron on CBX6 prompts CBX6 degradation and mediates the interaction with SPOP. We also showed that the protein degradation regulatory system is important in tumorigenesis by surveying degron-related mutations in TCGA. CONCLUSIONS Degpred provides an efficient tool to proteome-wide prediction of degrons and binding E3s singly from protein sequences. Degpred successfully captures typical degron-related sequence properties and predicts degrons beyond those from previously used motif-based methods, thus greatly expanding the degron landscape, which should advance the understanding of protein degradation, and allow exploration of uncharacterized alterations of proteins in diseases. To make it easier for readers to access collected and predicted datasets, we integrated these data into the website http://degron.phasep.pro/ .
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Hou
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191 China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission of China, Peking University, Beijing, 100191 China
| | - Yuxuan Li
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191 China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission of China, Peking University, Beijing, 100191 China
| | - Mengyao Wang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute for Cancer Research, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Tingting Li
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191 China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission of China, Peking University, Beijing, 100191 China
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Comparative Proteomic Analyses of Poorly Motile Swamp Buffalo Spermatozoa Reveal Low Energy Metabolism and Deficiencies in Motility-Related Proteins. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12131706. [PMID: 35804605 PMCID: PMC9264820 DOI: 10.3390/ani12131706] [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: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The acquisition of mammalian sperm motility is a main indicator of epididymal sperm maturation and helps ensure fertilization. Poor sperm motility will prevent sperm cells from reaching the fertilization site, resulting in fertilization failure. To investigate the proteomic profiling of normal and poorly motile buffalo spermatozoa, a strategy applying liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry combined with tandem mass targeting was used. As a result, 145 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in poorly motile spermatozoa (fold change > 1.5), including 52 upregulated and 93 downregulated proteins. The upregulated DEPs were mainly involved in morphogenesis and regulation of cell differentiation. The downregulated DEPs were involved with transport, oxidation-reduction, sperm motility, regulation of cAMP metabolism and regulation of DNA methylation. The mRNA and protein levels of PRM1 and AKAP3 were lower in poorly motile spermatozoa, while the expressions of SDC2, TEKT3 and IDH1 were not correlated with motility, indicating that their protein changes were affected by transcription or translation. Such changes in the expression of these proteins suggest that the formation of poorly motile buffalo spermatozoa reflects a low efficiency of energy metabolism, decreases in sperm protamine proteins, deficiencies in motility-related proteins, and variations in tail structural proteins. Such proteins could be biomarkers of poorly motile spermatozoa. These results illustrate some of the molecular mechanisms associated with poorly motile spermatozoa and provide clues for finding molecular markers of these pathways.
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Liu SH, Ma XY, Yue TT, Wang ZC, Qi KL, Li JC, Lin F, Rushdi HE, Gao YY, Fu T, Li M, Gao TY, Yang LG, Han XL, Deng TX. Transcriptome-Wide m6A Analysis Provides Novel Insights Into Testicular Development and Spermatogenesis in Xia-Nan Cattle. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:791221. [PMID: 35004687 PMCID: PMC8728086 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.791221] [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: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Testis is the primary organ of the male reproductive tract in mammals that plays a substantial role in spermatogenesis. Improvement of our knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms in testicular development and spermatogenesis will be reflected in producing spermatozoa of superior fertility. Evidence showed that N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) plays a dynamic role in post-transcription gene expression regulation and is strongly associated with production traits. However, the role of m6A in bovine testis has not been investigated yet. In this study, we conducted MeRIP-Seq analysis to explore the expression profiles of the m6A and its potential mechanism underlying spermatogenesis in nine bovine testes at three developmental stages (prepuberty, puberty and postpuberty). The experimental animals with triplicate in each stage were chosen based on their semen volume and sperm motility except for the prepuberty bulls and used for testes collection. By applying MeRIP-Seq analysis, a total of 8,774 m6A peaks and 6,206 m6A genes among the studied groups were identified. All the detected peaks were found to be mainly enriched in the coding region and 3'- untranslated regions. The cross-analysis of m6A and mRNA expression exhibited 502 genes with concomitant changes in the mRNA expression and m6A modification. Notably, 30 candidate genes were located in the largest network of protein-protein interactions. Interestingly, four key node genes (PLK4, PTEN, EGR1, and PSME4) were associated with the regulation of mammal testis development and spermatogenesis. This study is the first to present a map of RNA m6A modification in bovine testes at distinct ages, and provides new insights into m6A topology and related molecular mechanisms underlying bovine spermatogenesis, and establishes a basis for further studies on spermatogenesis in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shen-He Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Ya Ma
- Guangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Buffalo Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction Technology, Buffalo Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, China
| | - Ting-Ting Yue
- Henan Dairy Herd Improvement Co., Ltd, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zi-Chen Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Kun-Long Qi
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ji-Chao Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Feng Lin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Hossam E Rushdi
- Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Yu-Yang Gao
- Henan Dingyuan Cattle Breeding Co., Ltd., Wuhan, China
| | - Tong Fu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ming Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Teng-Yun Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Li-Guo Yang
- China Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xue-Lei Han
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ting-Xian Deng
- Guangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Buffalo Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction Technology, Buffalo Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, China
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Polyubiquitin gene Ubb is required for upregulation of Piwi protein level during mouse testis development. Cell Death Dis 2021; 7:194. [PMID: 34312369 PMCID: PMC8313548 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-021-00581-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Testis development, including early embryonic gonad formation and late postnatal spermatogenesis, is essential for the reproduction of higher metazoans to generate fertile gametes, called sperm. We have previously reported that the polyubiquitin gene Ubb is required for fertility in both male and female mice. In particular, the Ubb-null male mice showed an azoospermia phenotype due to arrest of spermatogenesis at the pachytene stage. Here, we analyzed the whole testis proteome at postnatal day 20 to define the molecular mediators of the male-infertility phenotype caused by Ubb knockout. From the identified proteome, 564 proteins were significantly and differentially expressed in Ubb-knockout testes and, among these, 36 downregulated proteins were involved at different stages of spermatogenesis. We also found that levels of piRNA metabolic process-related proteins, including Piwil2 and Tdrd1, were downregulated in Ubb-null testes through functional gene ontology analysis. Further, protein-protein interaction mapping revealed that 24 testis development-related proteins, including Hsp90aa1, Eef1a1, and Pabpc1, were directly influenced by the depletion of ubiquitin. In addition, the reduced mRNA levels of these proteins were observed in Ubb-knockout testes, which closely resembled the global downregulation of piRNA-metabolic gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Together with proteomic and transcriptional analyses, our data suggest that Ubb expression is essential for the maintenance of testicular RNA-binding regulators and piRNA-metabolic proteins to complete spermatogenesis in mice.
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