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Tian Y, Wang YF, Miao YL, Zhou LQ. Editorial: Fertilization and early development: genetics and epigenetics. Front Genet 2024; 15:1465510. [PMID: 39139820 PMCID: PMC11319244 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1465510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Tian
- Institute of Reproductive Health/Center of Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yu-fan Wang
- Institute of Reproductive Health/Center of Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yi-liang Miao
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Li-quan Zhou
- Institute of Reproductive Health/Center of Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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2
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Sakurai N, Fujihara Y, Kobayashi K, Ikawa M. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated disruption of lipocalins, Ly6g5b, and Ly6g5c causes male subfertility in mice. Andrology 2024; 12:981-990. [PMID: 36428102 PMCID: PMC10506895 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spermatozoa become mature and competent for fertilization during transit from the caput epididymis to the cauda epididymis. However, detailed molecular mechanisms of epididymal sperm maturation are still unclear. Here, we focused on multiple epididymis-enriched genes: lipocalin family genes (Lcn5, Lcn6, Lcn8, Lcn9, and Lcn10) and Ly6 family genes (Ly6g5b and Ly6g5c). These genes are evolutionarily conserved in mammals and form clusters on chromosomes 2 and 17 in the mouse, respectively. OBJECTIVE To clarify whether these genes are required for epididymal sperm maturation and acquisition of fertilizing ability, we generated knockout (KO) mice using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and analyzed their phenotype. MATERIALS AND METHODS We generated four lines of KO mice: Lcn9 single KO, the lipocalin family quadruple KO (Lcn5, Lcn6, Lcn8, and Lcn10), quintuple KO (Lcn5, Lcn6, Lcn8, Lcn10, and Lcn9), and double KO of Ly6 family genes (Ly6g5b and Ly6g5c). RESULTS Although the Lcn9 single KO did not affect male fertility, the quadruple KO and quintuple KO male mice were subfertile and mostly infertile, respectively, with a reduced amount of ADAM3, an essential protein for sperm binding to the zona pellucida. Further analysis revealed that the quintuple KO spermatozoa lack the CMTM2A/B that are required for ADAM3 maturation. Intriguingly, Ly6g5b and Ly6g5c double KO male mice also showed subfertility with reduced sperm ADAM3. CONCLUSION These results suggest epididymal secretory proteins are involved in ADAM3 maturation and acquisition of sperm fertilizing ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Sakurai
- Department of Bioscience and Genetics, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, 6-1 Kishibeshinmachi, Suita, Osaka 564-8565, Japan
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Fujihara
- Department of Bioscience and Genetics, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, 6-1 Kishibeshinmachi, Suita, Osaka 564-8565, Japan
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kiyonori Kobayashi
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masahito Ikawa
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
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3
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Zheng H, Gong C, Li J, Hou J, Gong X, Zhu X, Deng H, Wu H, Zhang F, Shi Q, Zhou J, Shi B, Yang X, Xi Y. CCDC157 is essential for sperm differentiation and shows oligoasthenoteratozoospermia-related mutations in men. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18215. [PMID: 38509755 PMCID: PMC10955179 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18215] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT), characterized by abnormally low sperm count, poor sperm motility, and abnormally high number of deformed spermatozoa, is an important cause of male infertility. Its genetic basis in many affected individuals remains unknown. Here, we found that CCDC157 variants are associated with OAT. In two cohorts, a 21-bp (g.30768132_30768152del21) and/or 24-bp (g.30772543_30772566del24) deletion of CCDC157 were identified in five sporadic OAT patients, and 2 cases within one pedigree. In a mouse model, loss of Ccdc157 led to male sterility with OAT-like phenotypes. Electron microscopy revealed misstructured acrosome and abnormal head-tail coupling apparatus in the sperm of Ccdc157-null mice. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that the Ccdc157 mutation alters the expressions of genes involved in cell migration/motility and Golgi components. Abnormal Golgi apparatus and decreased expressions of genes involved in acrosome formation and lipid metabolism were detected in Ccdc157-deprived mouse germ cells. Interestingly, we attempted to treat infertile patients and Ccdc157 mutant mice with a Chinese medicine, Huangjin Zanyu, which improved the fertility in one patient and most mice that carried the heterozygous mutation in CCDC157. Healthy offspring were produced. Our study reveals CCDC157 is essential for sperm maturation and may serve as a marker for diagnosis of OAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimei Zheng
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Chenjia Gong
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, USTC‐SJH Joint Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Diseases, School of Life Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and DevelopmentUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Jingping Li
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Jiaru Hou
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Institute of GeneticsZhejiang UniversityYiwuChina
- Center for Genetic Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineYiwuChina
| | - Xinhan Gong
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Institute of GeneticsZhejiang UniversityYiwuChina
- Center for Genetic Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineYiwuChina
| | - Xinhai Zhu
- College of Life SciencesZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Huan Deng
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Institute of GeneticsZhejiang UniversityYiwuChina
- Center for Genetic Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineYiwuChina
| | - Haoyue Wu
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Institute of GeneticsZhejiang UniversityYiwuChina
- Center for Genetic Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineYiwuChina
| | - Fengbin Zhang
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Qinghua Shi
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, USTC‐SJH Joint Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Diseases, School of Life Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and DevelopmentUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Jianteng Zhou
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, USTC‐SJH Joint Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Diseases, School of Life Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and DevelopmentUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Baolu Shi
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, USTC‐SJH Joint Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Diseases, School of Life Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and DevelopmentUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Xiaohang Yang
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Institute of GeneticsZhejiang UniversityYiwuChina
- Center for Genetic Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineYiwuChina
| | - Yongmei Xi
- Division of Human Reproduction and Developmental Genetics, the Women's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Institute of GeneticsZhejiang UniversityYiwuChina
- Center for Genetic Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineYiwuChina
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4
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Bakhshalizadeh S, Bird AD, Sreenivasan R, Bell KM, Robevska G, van den Bergen J, Asghari-Jafarabadi M, Kueh AJ, Touraine P, Lokchine A, Jaillard S, Ayers KL, Wilhelm D, Sinclair AH, Tucker EJ. A Human Homozygous HELQ Missense Variant Does Not Cause Premature Ovarian Insufficiency in a Mouse Model. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:333. [PMID: 38540391 PMCID: PMC10970702 DOI: 10.3390/genes15030333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Disruption of meiosis and DNA repair genes is associated with female fertility disorders like premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). In this study, we identified a homozygous missense variant in the HELQ gene (c.596 A>C; p.Gln199Pro) through whole exome sequencing in a POI patient, a condition associated with disrupted ovarian function and female infertility. HELQ, an enzyme involved in DNA repair, plays a crucial role in repairing DNA cross-links and has been linked to germ cell maintenance, fertility, and tumour suppression in mice. To explore the potential association of the HELQ variant with POI, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to create a knock-in mouse model harbouring the equivalent of the human HELQ variant identified in the POI patient. Surprisingly, Helq knock-in mice showed no discernible phenotype, with fertility levels, histological features, and follicle development similar to wild-type mice. Despite the lack of observable effects in mice, the potential role of HELQ in human fertility, especially in the context of POI, should not be dismissed. Larger studies encompassing diverse ethnic populations and alternative functional approaches will be necessary to further examine the role of HELQ in POI. Our results underscore the potential uncertainties associated with genomic variants and the limitations of in vivo animal modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Bakhshalizadeh
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Anthony D. Bird
- Department of Anatomy & Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (A.D.B.); (D.W.)
- Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3168, Australia
- Department of Molecular & Translational Science, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Rajini Sreenivasan
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Katrina M. Bell
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Gorjana Robevska
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Jocelyn van den Bergen
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Mohammad Asghari-Jafarabadi
- Biostatistics Unit, School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia;
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Andrew J. Kueh
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Philippe Touraine
- Department of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Pitie Salpetriere Hospital, AP-HP, Sorbonne University Medicine, 75013 Paris, France;
| | - Anna Lokchine
- IRSET (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), INSERM/EHESP/Univ Rennes/CHU Rennes–UMR_S 1085, 35000 Rennes, France; (A.L.); (S.J.)
- CHU Rennes, Service de Cytogénétique et Biologie Cellulaire, 35033 Rennes, France
| | - Sylvie Jaillard
- IRSET (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), INSERM/EHESP/Univ Rennes/CHU Rennes–UMR_S 1085, 35000 Rennes, France; (A.L.); (S.J.)
- CHU Rennes, Service de Cytogénétique et Biologie Cellulaire, 35033 Rennes, France
| | - Katie L. Ayers
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Dagmar Wilhelm
- Department of Anatomy & Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (A.D.B.); (D.W.)
| | - Andrew H. Sinclair
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Elena J. Tucker
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia; (S.B.); (R.S.); (K.M.B.); (G.R.); (J.v.d.B.); (K.L.A.); (A.H.S.)
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
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5
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Fujihara Y, Miyata H, Abbasi F, Larasati T, Nozawa K, Yu Z, Ikawa M, Matzuk MM. Tex46 knockout male mice are sterile secondary to sperm head malformations and failure to penetrate through the zona pellucida. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae108. [PMID: 38516277 PMCID: PMC10957234 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Each year, infertility affects 15% of couples worldwide, with 50% of cases attributed to men. It is assumed that sperm head shape is important for sperm-zona pellucida (ZP) penetration but research has yet to elucidate why. We generated testis expressed 46 (Tex46) knockout mice to investigate the essential roles of TEX46 in mammalian reproduction. We used RT-PCR to demonstrate that Tex46 was expressed exclusively in the male reproductive tract in mice and humans. We created Tex46-/- mice using the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system and analyzed their fertility. Tex46 null spermatozoa underwent further evaluation using computer-assisted sperm analysis, light microscopy, and ultrastructural microscopy. We used immunoblot analysis to elucidate relationships between TEX46 and other acrosome biogenesis-related proteins. Mouse and human TEX46 are testis-enriched and encode a transmembrane protein which is conserved from amphibians to mammals. Loss of the mouse TEX46 protein causes male sterility primarily due to abnormal sperm head formation and secondary effects on sperm motility. Tex46 null spermatozoa morphologically lack the typical hooked sperm head appearance and fail to penetrate through the ZP. Electron microscopy of the testicular germ cells reveals malformation of the acrosomal cap, with misshapen sperm head tips and the appearance of a gap between the acrosome head and the nucleus. TEX46 is essential for sperm head formation, sperm penetration through the ZP, and male fertility in mice, and is a putative contraceptive target in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Fujihara
- Department of Advanced Medical Technologies, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Osaka 564-8565, Japan
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Haruhiko Miyata
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ferheen Abbasi
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Tamara Larasati
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kaori Nozawa
- Department of Advanced Medical Technologies, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Osaka 564-8565, Japan
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zhifeng Yu
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Masahito Ikawa
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Martin M Matzuk
- Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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6
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Mapel XM, Kadri NK, Leonard AS, He Q, Lloret-Villas A, Bhati M, Hiltpold M, Pausch H. Molecular quantitative trait loci in reproductive tissues impact male fertility in cattle. Nat Commun 2024; 15:674. [PMID: 38253538 PMCID: PMC10803364 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44935-7] [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: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Breeding bulls are well suited to investigate inherited variation in male fertility because they are genotyped and their reproductive success is monitored through semen analyses and thousands of artificial inseminations. However, functional data from relevant tissues are lacking in cattle, which prevents fine-mapping fertility-associated genomic regions. Here, we characterize gene expression and splicing variation in testis, epididymis, and vas deferens transcriptomes of 118 mature bulls and conduct association tests between 414,667 molecular phenotypes and 21,501,032 genome-wide variants to identify 41,156 regulatory loci. We show broad consensus in tissue-specific and tissue-enriched gene expression between the three bovine tissues and their human and murine counterparts. Expression- and splicing-mediating variants are more than three times as frequent in testis than epididymis and vas deferens, highlighting the transcriptional complexity of testis. Finally, we identify genes (WDR19, SPATA16, KCTD19, ZDHHC1) and molecular phenotypes that are associated with quantitative variation in male fertility through transcriptome-wide association and colocalization analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xena Marie Mapel
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Naveen Kumar Kadri
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexander S Leonard
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Qiongyu He
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Meenu Bhati
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Maya Hiltpold
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, 31326, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Hubert Pausch
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zurich, Universitatstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
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7
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Ding X, Singh P, Schimenti K, Tran TN, Fragoza R, Hardy J, Orwig KE, Olszewska M, Kurpisz MK, Yatsenko AN, Conrad DF, Yu H, Schimenti JC. In vivo versus in silico assessment of potentially pathogenic missense variants in human reproductive genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2219925120. [PMID: 37459509 PMCID: PMC10372637 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2219925120] [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: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Infertility is a heterogeneous condition, with genetic causes thought to underlie a substantial fraction of cases. Genome sequencing is becoming increasingly important for genetic diagnosis of diseases including idiopathic infertility; however, most rare or minor alleles identified in patients are variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Interpreting the functional impacts of VUS is challenging but profoundly important for clinical management and genetic counseling. To determine the consequences of these variants in key fertility genes, we functionally evaluated 11 missense variants in the genes ANKRD31, BRDT, DMC1, EXO1, FKBP6, MCM9, M1AP, MEI1, MSH4 and SEPT12 by generating genome-edited mouse models. Nine variants were classified as deleterious by most functional prediction algorithms, and two disrupted a protein-protein interaction (PPI) in the yeast two hybrid (Y2H) assay. Though these genes are essential for normal meiosis or spermiogenesis in mice, only one variant, observed in the MCM9 gene of a male infertility patient, compromised fertility or gametogenesis in the mouse models. To explore the disconnect between predictions and outcomes, we compared pathogenicity calls of missense variants made by ten widely used algorithms to 1) those annotated in ClinVar and 2) those evaluated in mice. All the algorithms performed poorly in terms of predicting the effects of human missense variants modeled in mice. These studies emphasize caution in the genetic diagnoses of infertile patients based primarily on pathogenicity prediction algorithms and emphasize the need for alternative and efficient in vitro or in vivo functional validation models for more effective and accurate VUS description to either pathogenic or benign categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinbao Ding
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Priti Singh
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Kerry Schimenti
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Tina N. Tran
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Robert Fragoza
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Jimmaline Hardy
- School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15213
| | - Kyle E. Orwig
- School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15213
| | - Marta Olszewska
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan60-479, Poland
| | - Maciej K. Kurpisz
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan60-479, Poland
| | - Alexander N. Yatsenko
- School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15213
| | - Donald F. Conrad
- Oregon Health & Science University, Division of Genetics, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR97006
| | - Haiyuan Yu
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - John C. Schimenti
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
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8
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Fujihara Y, Kobayashi K, Abbasi F, Endo T, Yu Z, Ikawa M, Matzuk MM. PDCL2 is essential for sperm acrosome formation and male fertility in mice. Andrology 2023; 11:789-798. [PMID: 36278277 PMCID: PMC10123174 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13329] [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: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Each year, infertility affects 15% of couples worldwide, with 50% of cases attributed to men. Globozoospermia is an uncommon cause of male factor infertility, characterized by defects in sperm acrosome formation, leading to round-headed spermatozoa. OBJECTIVE We generated Pdcl2 knockout mice to investigate the essential roles of PDCL2 in mammalian reproduction. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to demonstrate that PDCL2 was expressed exclusively in the male reproductive tract in mice and humans. We created Pdcl2 knockout mice using the CRISPR-Cas9 system and analyzed their fertility. Pdcl2 null spermatozoa underwent further evaluation using computer-assisted sperm analysis, light microscopy, and ultrastructural microscopy. We used immunoblot analysis and immunofluorescence to elucidate relationships between PDCL2 and other acrosomal proteins. RESULTS The PDC family is highly conserved in eukaryotes. Mouse and human PDCL2 are testis enriched and localized to the testicular endoplasmic reticulum. Loss of the protein causes sterility because of abnormal acrosome biogenesis during spermiogenesis and immotility. Furthermore, Pdcl2 null spermatozoa have rounded heads, similar to globozoospermia in humans. Observation of the knockout testis shows a lack of acrosomal cap formation, aberrant localization of mitochondria in the sperm head, and misshapen nuclei. CONCLUSION PDCL2 is essential for sperm acrosome development and male fertility in mice and is a putative contraceptive target in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Fujihara
- Department of Bioscience and Genetics, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Osaka 564-8565, Japan
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Drug Discovery and Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Kiyonori Kobayashi
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ferheen Abbasi
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817
| | - Tsutomu Endo
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Experimental Animals, Research Facility Cluster, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Zhifeng Yu
- Center for Drug Discovery and Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Masahito Ikawa
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Martin M. Matzuk
- Center for Drug Discovery and Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
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9
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Moreno RD. Human globozoospermia-related genes and their role in acrosome biogenesis. WIREs Mech Dis 2023; 15:e1589. [PMID: 36493758 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian acrosome is a secretory vesicle attached to the sperm nucleus whose fusion with the overlying plasma membrane is required to achieve fertilization. Acrosome biogenesis starts during meiosis, but it lasts through the entire process of haploid cell differentiation (spermiogenesis). Acrosome biogenesis is a stepwise process that involves membrane traffic from the Golgi apparatus, but it also seems that the lysosome/endosome system participates in this process. Defective sperm head morphology is accompanied by defective acrosome shape and function, and patients with these characteristics are infertile or subfertile. The most extreme case of acrosome biogenesis failure is globozoospermia syndrome, which is primarily characterized by the presence of round-headed spermatozoa without acrosomes with cytoskeleton defects around the nucleus and infertility. Several genes participating in acrosome biogenesis have been uncovered using genetic deletions in mice, but only a few of them have been found to be deleted or modified in patients with globozoospermia. Understanding acrosome biogenesis is crucial to uncovering the molecular basis of male infertility and developing new diagnostic tools and assisted reproductive technologies that may help infertile patients through more effective treatment techniques. This article is categorized under: Reproductive System Diseases > Environmental Factors Infectious Diseases > Stem Cells and Development Reproductive System Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo D Moreno
- Departmento de Fisiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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10
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Wang X, Jiang C, Dai S, Shen G, Yang Y, Shen Y. Identification of nonfunctional SPATA20 causing acephalic spermatozoa syndrome in humans. Clin Genet 2023; 103:310-319. [PMID: 36415156 DOI: 10.1111/cge.14268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome (ASS) is a rare and severe type of teratozoospermia characterized by the predominance of headless spermatozoa in the ejaculate. However, knowledge about the causative genes associated with ASS in humans is limited. Loss-of-function of SPATA20 has been suggested to result in the separation of the sperm head and flagellum in mice, whereas there have been no cases reporting SPATA20 variants leading to human male infertility. In this study, a nonsense mutation in SPATA20 (c.619C > T, p.Arg207*) was first identified in an ASS patient. Moreover, this variant contributed to the degradation of SPATA20 and was associated with decreased expression of SPATA6, which plays a vital role in the assembly of the sperm head-tail conjunction in humans. In addition, the infertility caused by loss-of-function mutation of SPATA20 might not be rescued by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Collectively, our findings suggested that SPATA20 might be required for sperm head-tail conjunction formation in humans, the nonfunction of which may lead to male infertility related to ASS. The discovery of the loss-of-function mutation in SPATA20 enriches the gene variant spectrum of human ASS, further contributing to improved diagnosis, genetic counseling and prognosis for male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Wang
- Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chuan Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Siyu Dai
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Gan Shen
- Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yihong Yang
- Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Shen
- Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Pediatric Diseases and Birth Defects of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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11
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Crafa A, Condorelli RA, La Vignera S, Calogero AE, Cannarella R. Globozoospermia: A Case Report and Systematic Review of Literature. World J Mens Health 2023; 41:49-80. [PMID: 36047070 PMCID: PMC9826911 DOI: 10.5534/wjmh.220020] [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: 02/06/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Globozoospermia is a genetic syndrome characterized by the presence of round-headed spermatozoa and infertility due to the inability of these spermatozoa to fertilize the oocyte. In this article, we present the clinical case of a young globozoospermic patient with a new, not yet described mutation of the DPY19L2 gene. We also performed a systematic review of the literature on gene mutations, the outcome of assisted reproductive techniques, and the risk of transmission of abnormalities to the offspring in patients with globozoospermia and made recommendations to offer a more appropriate clinical management of these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a systematic search in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases from their inception to December 2021. The search strategy included the combination of the following Medical Subjects Headings (MeSH) terms and keywords: "globozoospermia", "round-headed spermatozoa", "round head spermatozoa", "intracytoplasmic sperm injection", "ICSI", "offspring", "child health", "assisted reproductive technique outcome". All the eligible studies were selected following the PECOS (Population, Exposure, Comparison/Comparator, Outcomes, Study design) model. The quality of included studies was assessed by applying the "Cambridge Quality Checklists". RESULTS The main genes involved in the pathogenesis of globozoospermia are DPY19L2, SPATA16, PICK1, GGN, SPACA1, ZPBP, CCDC62, and CCNB3 genes. Other genes could also play a role. These include C2CD6, C7orf61, CCIN, DNH17, DNH6, PIWIL4, and CHPT1. Globozoospermic patients should undergo ART to achieve fertility. In particular, intracytoplasmic sperm injection with assisted oocyte activation or intracytoplasmic morphologically-selected sperm injection appears to be associated with a higher success rate. Patients with globozoospermia should also be evaluated for the high rate of sperm aneuploidy which appears to influence the success rate of ART but does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of transmission of genetic abnormalities to offspring. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review summarizes the evidence on the gene panel to be evaluated, ICSI outcomes, and the health of the offspring in patients with globozoospermia. Evidence-based recommendations on the management of patients with globozoospermia are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Crafa
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Sandro La Vignera
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Aldo Eugenio Calogero
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Rossella Cannarella
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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12
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De Novo Assembly, Characterization and Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Mature Gonads in Spinibarbus hollandi. Animals (Basel) 2022; 13:ani13010166. [PMID: 36611773 PMCID: PMC9817534 DOI: 10.3390/ani13010166] [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: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinibarbus hollandi is an important commercial aquaculture species in southeastern China, but with long maturity period and low egg laying amount. However, there has been little study of its gonad development and reproductive regulation, which limits aquaculture production. Here, for the first time, gonadal transcriptomes of male and female S. hollandi were analyzed. A total of 167,152 unigenes were assembled, with only 48,275 annotated successfully. After comparison, a total of 21,903 differentially expressed genes were identified between male and female gonads, of which 16,395 were upregulated and 5508 were downregulated in the testis. In addition, a large number of differentially expressed genes participating in reproduction, gonad formation and differentiation, and gametogenesis were screened out and the differential expression profiles of partial genes were further validated using quantitative real-time PCR. These results will provide basic information for further research on gonad differentiation and development in S. hollandi.
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13
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Sujit KM, Pallavi S, Singh V, Andrabi SW, Trivedi S, Sankhwar SN, Gupta G, Rajender S.
SPATA16
promoter hypermethylation and downregulation in male infertility. Andrologia 2022; 54:e14548. [DOI: 10.1111/and.14548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Saini Pallavi
- Division of Endocrinology Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Ghaziabad India
| | - Vertika Singh
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics Banaras Hindu University Varanasi India
| | | | - Sameer Trivedi
- Department of Urology Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University Varanasi India
| | | | - Gopal Gupta
- Division of Endocrinology Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Ghaziabad India
| | - Singh Rajender
- Division of Endocrinology Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Ghaziabad India
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14
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TCFL5 deficiency impairs the pachytene to diplotene transition during spermatogenesis in the mouse. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10956. [PMID: 35768632 PMCID: PMC9242989 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15167-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is a complex, multistep process during which spermatogonia give rise to spermatozoa. Transcription Factor Like 5 (TCFL5) is a transcription factor that has been described expressed during spermatogenesis. In order to decipher the role of TCFL5 during in vivo spermatogenesis, we generated two mouse models. Ubiquitous removal of TCFL5 generated by breeding TCFL5fl/fl with SOX2-Cre mice resulted in sterile males being unable to produce spermatozoa due to a dramatic alteration of the testis architecture presenting meiosis arrest and lack of spermatids. SYCP3, SYCP1 and H1T expression analysis showed that TCFL5 deficiency causes alterations during pachytene/diplotene transition resulting in a meiotic arrest in a diplotene-like stage. Even more, TCFL5 deficient pachytene showed alterations in the number of MLH1 foci and the condensation of the sexual body. In addition, tamoxifen-inducible TCFL5 knockout mice showed, besides meiosis phenotype, alterations in the spermatids elongation process resulting in aberrant spermatids. Furthermore, TCFL5 deficiency increased spermatogonia maintenance genes (Dalz, Sox2, and Dmrt1) but also increased meiosis genes (Syce1, Stag3, and Morc2a) suggesting that the synaptonemal complex forms well, but cannot separate and meiosis does not proceed. TCFL5 is able to bind to the promoter of Syce1, Stag3, Dmrt1, and Syce1 suggesting a direct control of their expression. In conclusion, TCFL5 plays an essential role in spermatogenesis progression being indispensable for meiosis resolution and spermatids maturation.
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15
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Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism on Spermatogenesis Associated 16 Gene-Coding Region Affecting Bovine Leukemia Virus Proviral Load. Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9060275. [PMID: 35737328 PMCID: PMC9227911 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9060275] [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: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is an etiological agent of malignant lymphoma in cattle and is endemic in many cattle-breeding countries. Thus, the development of cattle genetically resistant to BLV is desirable. The purpose of this study was to identify novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to resistance to BLV. A total of 146 DNA samples from cattle with high BLV proviral loads (PVLs) and 142 samples from cattle with low PVLs were used for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). For the verification of the GWAS results, an additional 1342 and 456 DNA samples from BLV-infected Japanese Black and Holstein cattle, respectively, were used for an SNP genotyping PCR to compare the genotypes for the identified SNPs and PVLs. An SNP located on the spermatogenesis associated 16 (SPATA16)-coding region on bovine chromosome 1 was found to exceed the moderate threshold (p < 1.0 × 10−5) in the Additive and Dominant models of the GWAS. The SNP genotyping PCR revealed that the median values of the PVL were 1278 copies/50 ng of genomic DNA for the major homozygous, 843 for the heterozygous, and 621 for the minor homozygous genotypes in the Japanese Black cattle (p < 0.0001). A similar tendency was also observed in the Holstein cattle. We found that cattle with the minor allele for this SNP showed 20−25% lower PVLs. Although the mechanisms through which this SNP impacts the PVL remain unknown, we found a novel SNP related to BLV resistance located on the SPATA16 gene-coding region on bovine chromosome 1.
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16
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Okada Y. Sperm chromatin condensation: epigenetic mechanisms to compact the genome and spatiotemporal regulation from inside and outside the nucleus. Gene 2022; 97:41-53. [PMID: 35491100 DOI: 10.1266/ggs.21-00065] [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: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Sperm chromatin condensation is a critical step in mammalian spermatogenesis to protect the paternal DNA from external damaging factors and to acquire fertility. During chromatin condensation, various events proceed in a chronological order, independently or in sequence, interacting with each other both inside and outside the nucleus to support the dramatic chromatin changes. Among these events, histone-protamine replacement, which is concomitant with acrosome biogenesis and cytoskeletal alteration, is the most critical step associated with nuclear elongation. Failures of not only intranuclear events but also extra-nuclear events severely affect sperm shape and chromatin state and are subsequently linked to infertility. This review focuses on nuclear and non-nuclear factors that affect sperm chromatin condensation and its effects, and further discusses the possible utility of sperm chromatin for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Okada
- Laboratory of Pathology and Development, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo
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17
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Wang HQ, Wang T, Gao F, Ren WZ. Application of CRISPR/Cas Technology in Spermatogenesis Research and Male Infertility Treatment. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13061000. [PMID: 35741761 PMCID: PMC9223233 DOI: 10.3390/genes13061000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
As the basis of animal reproductive activity, normal spermatogenesis directly determines the efficiency of livestock production. An in-depth understanding of spermatogenesis will greatly facilitate animal breeding efforts and male infertility treatment. With the continuous development and application of gene editing technologies, they have become valuable tools to study the mechanism of spermatogenesis. Gene editing technologies have provided us with a better understanding of the functions and potential mechanisms of action of factors that regulate spermatogenesis. This review summarizes the applications of gene editing technologies, especially CRISPR/Cas9, in deepening our understanding of the function of spermatogenesis-related genes and disease treatment. The problems of gene editing technologies in the field of spermatogenesis research are also discussed.
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18
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Murtaza G, Yang L, Khan I, Unar A, Khan M, Huan Z, Khan R, Shi Q. Identification and Functional Investigation of Novel Heterozygous HELQ Mutations in Patients with Sertoli Cell-only Syndrome. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2021; 25:654-659. [PMID: 34672775 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2021.0104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Male infertility is a major health concern in couples of childbearing ages. Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) is an extreme form of male infertility that affects ∼1% of adult men, and the etiology remains unknown in most cases. Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) is the most severe type of NOA. Aims: To explore novel human candidate variants that cause SCOS. Methods: (1) Whole exome sequencing (WES) of 20 men with SCOS, (2) Sanger sequencing of the HELQ gene in an additional 163 men with SCOS, (3) in vitro functional assays, and (4) in vivo studies. Results: WES of 20 patients with SCOS led to the identification of two heterozygous missense mutations (M1 and M2) in two unrelated Chinese patients with infertility. Using subsequent Sanger sequencing covering all the coding regions of the HELQ gene for 163 additional SCOS cases, we identified four additional heterozygous mutations (M3-M6) in unrelated patients. In vitro functional analyses revealed that two of these mutations (M5, c.2538T > G and M6, c.2945G > T) might affect the function of the HELQ protein. Two heterozygous mutant mouse models with mutations similar to those of two patients (M5 and M6) did not show any considerable spermatogenic defects. Conclusion: Assuming that the mouse models accurately reflect the impact of the mutations, heterozygous HELQ variants alone did not lead to the development of the SCOS phenotype in mice. However, we cannot rule out the risk variants in Chinese or other human populations, and a larger dataset is needed to confirm the association between HELQ mutations with SCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghulam Murtaza
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Li Yang
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Ihsan Khan
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Ahsanullah Unar
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Mazhar Khan
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Zhang Huan
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Ranjha Khan
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Qinghua Shi
- The first affiliated hospital of USTC, Division of Reproduction and Genetics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
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19
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Wang W, Tian S, Nie H, Tu C, Liu C, Li Y, Li D, Yang X, Meng L, Hu T, Zhang Q, Du J, Fan L, Lu G, Lin G, Zhang F, Tan YQ. CFAP65 is required in the acrosome biogenesis and mitochondrial sheath assembly during spermiogenesis. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:2240-2254. [PMID: 34231842 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthenoteratospermia is a common cause of male infertility. Recent studies have revealed that CFAP65 mutations lead to severe asthenoteratospermia due to acrosome hypoplasia and flagellum malformations. However, the molecular mechanism underlying CFAP65-associated sperm malformation is largely unclear. Here, we initially examined the role of CFAP65 during spermiogenesis using Cfap65 knockout (Cfap65-/-) mice. The results showed that Cfap65-/- male mice exhibited severe asthenoteratospermia characterized by morphologically defective sperm heads and flagella. In Cfap65-/- mouse testes, hyper-constricted sperm heads were apparent in step 9 spermatids accompanied by abnormal manchette development, and acrosome biogenesis was abnormal in the maturation phase. Moreover, subsequent flagellar elongation was also severely affected and characterized by disrupted assembly of the mitochondrial sheath (MS) in Cfap65-/- male mice. Furthermore, the proteomic analysis revealed that the proteostatic system during acrosome formation, manchette organization, and MS assembly was disrupted when CFAP65 was lost. Importantly, endogenous immunoprecipitation and immunostaining experiments revealed that CFAP65 may form a cytoplasmic protein network comprising MNS1, RSPH1, TPPP2, ZPBP1, and SPACA1. Overall, these findings provide insights into the complex molecular mechanisms of spermiogenesis by uncovering the essential roles of CFAP65 during sperm head shaping, acrosome biogenesis, and MS assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weili Wang
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Shixong Tian
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, NHC Key Laboratory of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Hongchuan Nie
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Chaofeng Tu
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Chunyu Liu
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, NHC Key Laboratory of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Yong Li
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Dongyan Li
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Yang
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Lanlan Meng
- Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Tongyao Hu
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Qianjun Zhang
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of human stem cell and reproductive engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Juan Du
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of human stem cell and reproductive engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Liqing Fan
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of human stem cell and reproductive engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Guangxiu Lu
- Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of human stem cell and reproductive engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Ge Lin
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of human stem cell and reproductive engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, NHC Key Laboratory of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Yue-Qiu Tan
- Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.,Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha 410078, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of human stem cell and reproductive engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
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20
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Faja F, Pallotti F, Cargnelutti F, Senofonte G, Carlini T, Lenzi A, Lombardo F, Paoli D. Molecular Analysis of DPY19L2, PICK1 and SPATA16 in Italian Unrelated Globozoospermic Men. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11070641. [PMID: 34209343 PMCID: PMC8307282 DOI: 10.3390/life11070641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims to evaluate genetic contribution and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) in a cohort of 18 unrelated globozoospermic Italian men (Group G). Semen samples were assessed according to the WHO 2010 Laboratory Manual and compared with 31 fertile controls. We focused our genetic analysis on the exons of the main globozoospermia-associated genes, performing qualitative PCR to assess deletion of DPY19L2 and sequencing to detect mutations of SPATA16 and PICK1. SDF was evaluated using the TUNEL assay. In Group G, 10 patients had a complete form of globozoospermia, whereas 8 patients had a partial form. Molecular analysis revealed deletion of DPY19L2 in six of the patients, all of them with complete globozoospermia, while no mutations were found in the examined exons of PICK1 and SPATA16. TUNEL analysis showed a higher SDF% in Group G. Our findings confirm DPY19L2 defects as the most frequent genetic alteration in Italian patients contributing to globozoospermic phenotypes. Furthermore, spermatozoa with acrosomal defects could also display high levels of SDF as a possible consequence of abnormally remodeled chromatin. The possible effect on offspring of chromatin structure abnormalities and altered DNA integrity should be carefully evaluated by clinicians, especially regarding the feasibility and safety of artificial reproductive techniques, which represent the only treatment that allows these patients to conceive.
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21
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Gamallat Y, Fang X, Mai H, Liu X, Li H, Zhou P, Han D, Zheng S, Liao C, Yang M, Li Y, Zuo L, Sun L, Hu H, Li N. Bi-allelic mutation in Fsip1 impairs acrosome vesicle formation and attenuates flagellogenesis in mice. Redox Biol 2021; 43:101969. [PMID: 33901807 PMCID: PMC8099781 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2021.101969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibrous sheath interacting protein 1 (Fsip1) is a cytoskeletal structural protein of the sperm flagellar proteome. A few studies have reported that it plays a vital role in the tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, little is known about the role of Fsip1 in spermatogenesis and mammalian sperm flagellogenesis. Fsip1 protein showed the highest expression in round spermatids, and was translocated from nucleus to the anterior region of the elongating spermatid head. To investigate its role we constructed homozygous Fsip1 null (Fsip1−/−) mice. We found that the homozygous Fsip1−/− mutant mice were infertile, with a low sperm count and impaired motility. Interestingly, a subtle phenotype characterized by abnormal head shape, and flagella deformities was observed in the sperm of Fsip1−/− mutant mice similar to the partial globozoospermia phenotype. Electron microscopy analysis of Fsip1−/− sperm revealed abnormal accumulation of mitochondria, disrupted axoneme and retained cytoplasm. Testicular sections showed increased cytoplasmic vacuoles in the elongated spermatid of Fsip1–/–mice, which indicated an intraflagellar transport (IFT) defect. Using proteomic approaches, we characterized the cellular components and the mechanism underlying this subtle phenotype. Our result indicated that Fsip1–/–downregulates the formation of acrosomal membrane and vesicles proteins, intraflagellar transport particles B, and sperm flagellum components. Our results suggest that Fsip1 is essential for normal spermiogenesis, and plays an essential role in the acrosome biogenesis and flagellogenesis by attenuating intraflagellar transport proteins. Disruption of Fsip1 leads to infertility with partial globozoospermia phenotype. Homozygous deletion of Fsip1 alters spermiogenesis. Fsip1 Knockout disrupts acrosome vesicle formation. Fsip1 motif analysis involves in internal fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaser Gamallat
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiang Fang
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hanran Mai
- Department of Andrology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaonan Liu
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hong Li
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pei Zhou
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dingding Han
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuxin Zheng
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Caihua Liao
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Miaomiao Yang
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Li
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liandong Zuo
- Department of Andrology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling Sun
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hao Hu
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China; Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 450052, Zhengzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Na Li
- Laboratory of Medical Systems Biology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China.
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22
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Hiltpold M, Kadri NK, Janett F, Witschi U, Schmitz-Hsu F, Pausch H. Autosomal recessive loci contribute significantly to quantitative variation of male fertility in a dairy cattle population. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:225. [PMID: 33784962 PMCID: PMC8010996 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07523-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cattle are ideally suited to investigate the genetics of male fertility. Semen from individual bulls is used for thousands of artificial inseminations for which the fertilization success is monitored. Results from the breeding soundness examination and repeated observations of semen quality complement the fertility evaluation for each bull. RESULTS In a cohort of 3881 Brown Swiss bulls that had genotypes at 683,609 SNPs, we reveal four novel recessive QTL for male fertility on BTA1, 18, 25, and 26 using haplotype-based association testing. A QTL for bull fertility on BTA1 is also associated with sperm head shape anomalies. All other QTL are not associated with any of the semen quality traits investigated. We perform complementary fine-mapping approaches using publicly available transcriptomes as well as whole-genome sequencing data of 125 Brown Swiss bulls to reveal candidate causal variants. We show that missense or nonsense variants in SPATA16, VWA3A, ENSBTAG00000006717 and ENSBTAG00000019919 are in linkage disequilibrium with the QTL. Using whole-genome sequence data, we detect strong association (P = 4.83 × 10- 12) of a missense variant (p.Ile193Met) in SPATA16 with male fertility. However, non-coding variants exhibit stronger association at all QTL suggesting that variants in regulatory regions contribute to variation in bull fertility. CONCLUSION Our findings in a dairy cattle population provide evidence that recessive variants may contribute substantially to quantitative variation in male fertility in mammals. Detecting causal variants that underpin variation in male fertility remains difficult because the most strongly associated variants reside in poorly annotated non-coding regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Hiltpold
- Animal Genomics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Eschikon 27, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland.
| | - Naveen Kumar Kadri
- Animal Genomics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Eschikon 27, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland
| | - Fredi Janett
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Hubert Pausch
- Animal Genomics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Eschikon 27, 8315, Lindau, Switzerland
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23
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Han B, Wang L, Yu S, Ge W, Li Y, Jiang H, Shen W, Sun Z. One potential biomarker for teratozoospermia identified by in-depth integrative analysis of multiple microarray data. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:10208-10224. [PMID: 33819193 PMCID: PMC8064145 DOI: 10.18632/aging.202781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Teratozoospermia is a common category of male infertility and with the increase in clinical patients and the increasing sophistication of assisted reproductive technology, there is an urgent need for an accurate semen diagnostic biomarker to accomplish rapid diagnosis of patients with teratozoospermia and accurately assess the success rate of assisted reproductive technologies. In this study, we performed gene differential expression analysis on two publicly available DNA microarray datasets (GSE6872 and GSE6967), followed by GSEA analysis to parse their enriched KEGG pathways, and WGCNA analysis to obtain the most highly correlated modules. Subsequent in-depth comparative analysis of the modules screened into the two datasets resulted in a gene set containing the identical expression trend, and then the differentially expressed genes in the set were screened using the corresponding criteria. Finally, three differentially expressed genes common to both datasets were selected. In addition, we validated the expression changes of this gene using another dataset (GSE6968) and in vitro experiments, and only screened one potential semen biomarker gene whose expression trend was identical to those in other datasets, which will also provide an important theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of teratozoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoquan Han
- Urology Department, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Peking University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China
| | - Lu Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Institute of Reproductive Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
| | - Shuai Yu
- Urology Department, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Peking University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China
| | - Wei Ge
- College of Life Sciences, Institute of Reproductive Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
| | - Yaqi Li
- Urology Department, Zaozhuang Hospital of Zaozhuang Mining Group, Zaozhuang 277100, China
| | - Hui Jiang
- Department of Urology, Department of Andrology, Department of Human Sperm Bank, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Wei Shen
- Urology Department, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Peking University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China.,College of Life Sciences, Institute of Reproductive Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
| | - Zhongyi Sun
- Urology Department, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Peking University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China
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24
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Doroftei B, Ilie OD, Puiu M, Ciobica A, Ilea C. Mini-Review Regarding the Applicability of Genome Editing Techniques Developed for Studying Infertility. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11020246. [PMID: 33562517 PMCID: PMC7915733 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11020246] [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: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Infertility is a highly debated topic today. It has been long hypothesized that infertility has an idiopathic cause, but recent studies demonstrated the existence of a genetic substrate. Fortunately, the methods of editing the human genome proven to be revolutionary. Following research conducted, we identified a total of 21 relevant studies; 14 were performed on mice, 5 on zebrafish and 2 on rats. We concluded that over forty-four genes in total are dispensable for fertility in both sexes without affecting host homeostasis. However, there are genes whose loss-of-function induces moderate to severe phenotypic changes in both sexes. There were situations in which the authors reported infertility, exhibited by the experimental model, or other pathologies such as cryptorchidism, cataracts, or reduced motor activity. Overall, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 are techniques that offer a wide range of possibilities for studying infertility, even to create mutant variants. It can be concluded that ZFNs, TALENs, and CRISPR/Cas9 are crucial tools in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan Doroftei
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, University Street, no 16, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (B.D.); (C.I.)
- Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology “Cuza Voda”, Cuza Voda Street, no 34, 700038 Iasi, Romania
- Origyn Fertility Center, Palace Street, no 3C, 700032 Iasi, Romania
| | - Ovidiu-Dumitru Ilie
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Carol I Avenue, no 20A, 700505 Iasi, Romania;
- Correspondence:
| | - Maria Puiu
- Department of Microscopic Morphology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babeș”, Eftimie Murgu Square, no 2, 300041 Timișoara, Romania;
| | - Alin Ciobica
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Carol I Avenue, no 20A, 700505 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Ciprian Ilea
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, University Street, no 16, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (B.D.); (C.I.)
- Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology “Cuza Voda”, Cuza Voda Street, no 34, 700038 Iasi, Romania
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25
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Li YZ, Wu RF, Zhu XS, Liu WS, Ye YY, Lu ZX, Li N. Identification of a novel deletion mutation in DPY19L2 from an infertile patient with globozoospermia: a case report. Mol Cytogenet 2020; 13:24. [PMID: 32582379 PMCID: PMC7310204 DOI: 10.1186/s13039-020-00495-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Male infertility is an increasing medical concern worldwide. In most cases, genetic factors are considered as the main cause of the disease. Globozoospermia (MIM102530) (also known as round-headed sperm) is a rare and severe malformed spermatospermia caused by acrosome deficiency or severe malformation. A subset of genetic mutations, such as DNAH6, SPATA16, DPY19L2, PICK1, and CCIN related to globozoospermia, have been reported in the past few years. The DPY19L2 mutation is commonly found in patients with globozoospermia. Herein, a 180-kbp homozygote deletion at 12q14.2 (g.63950001–64130000) was identified by copy number variation sequencing (CNVseq) in a patient with a globozoospermia, including the complete deletion of DPY19L2. Case presentation A 27-year-old patient at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University was diagnosed with infertility because, despite normal sexual activity for 4 years, his wife did not conceive. The patient was in good health with no obvious discomfort, no history of adverse chemical exposure, and no vices, such as smoking and drinking. The physical examination revealed normal genital development. However, semen tests showed a normal sperm count of 0% and the morphology was the round head. Sperm cytology showed that acrosomal enzyme was lower than normal. Reproductive hormones were in the normal range. B ultrasound did not show any abnormal seminal vesicle, prostate, bilateral testis, epididymis, and spermatic veins. The karyotype was normal, 46, XY, and no microdeletion of Y chromosome was detected. However, a homozygous deletion mutation was found in DPY19L2, which was further diagnosed as globozoospermia. Conclusions The present study reported a male infertility patient who was diagnosed with globozoospermia. The analysis of gene mutations revealed that DPY19L2 had a homozygous mutation, which was the primary cause of globozoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- You-Zhu Li
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, No. 6 Guchengxi Road, Si Ming, Xiamen, 361003 China
| | - Rong-Feng Wu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, No. 6 Guchengxi Road, Si Ming, Xiamen, 361003 China
| | - Xing-Shen Zhu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005 Fujian China
| | - Wen-Sheng Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005 Fujian China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Ye
- Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, No. 6 Guchengxi Road, Si Ming, Xiamen, 361003 China
| | - Zhong-Xian Lu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005 Fujian China
| | - Na Li
- Intensive Care Unit, Fujian Medical University Xiamen Humanity Hospital, No.3777 Xianyue Road, Huli, Xiamen, 361009 China
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26
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Spermatozoa lacking Fertilization Influencing Membrane Protein (FIMP) fail to fuse with oocytes in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:9393-9400. [PMID: 32295885 PMCID: PMC7196805 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917060117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
As the human body is composed of 60 trillion cells that originate from a fertilized egg, sperm–oocyte fusion is the initial event of our life. Few sperm–oocyte fusion factors have been unveiled to date, and only IZUMO1 has been identified as a sperm-specific fusion-mediating protein. Here, we identified the testis-specific 4930451I11Rik gene important for male fertility, playing a role in sperm–oocyte fusion during fertilization. Based on its functional role, we renamed this gene fertilization influencing membrane protein (Fimp). We discovered a factor responsible for sperm–oocyte fusion in mammals, and this knowledge could be used to develop in vitro and in vivo infertility treatments as well as male contraceptives. Sperm–oocyte fusion is a critical event in mammalian fertilization, categorized by three indispensable proteins. Sperm membrane protein IZUMO1 and its counterpart oocyte membrane protein JUNO make a protein complex allowing sperm to interact with the oocyte, and subsequent sperm–oocyte fusion. Oocyte tetraspanin protein CD9 also contributes to sperm–oocyte fusion. However, the fusion process cannot be explained solely by these three essential factors. In this study, we focused on analyzing a testis-specific gene 4930451I11Rik and generated mutant mice using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Although IZUMO1 remained in 4930451I11Rik knockout (KO) spermatozoa, the KO spermatozoa were unable to fuse with oocytes and the KO males were severely subfertile. 4930451I11Rik encodes two isoforms: a transmembrane (TM) form and a secreted form. Both CRISPR/Cas9-mediated TM deletion and transgenic (Tg) rescue with the TM form revealed that only the TM form plays a critical role in sperm–oocyte fusion. Thus, we renamed this TM form Fertilization Influencing Membrane Protein (FIMP). The mCherry-tagged FIMP TM form was localized to the sperm equatorial segment where the sperm–oocyte fusion event occurs. Thus, FIMP is a sperm-specific transmembrane protein that is necessary for the sperm–oocyte fusion process.
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27
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Crapster JA, Rack PG, Hellmann ZJ, Le AD, Adams CM, Leib RD, Elias JE, Perrino J, Behr B, Li Y, Lin J, Zeng H, Chen JK. HIPK4 is essential for murine spermiogenesis. eLife 2020; 9:e50209. [PMID: 32163033 PMCID: PMC7067585 DOI: 10.7554/elife.50209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian spermiogenesis is a remarkable cellular transformation, during which round spermatids elongate into chromatin-condensed spermatozoa. The signaling pathways that coordinate this process are not well understood, and we demonstrate here that homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 4 (HIPK4) is essential for spermiogenesis and male fertility in mice. HIPK4 is predominantly expressed in round and early elongating spermatids, and Hipk4 knockout males are sterile, exhibiting phenotypes consistent with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. Hipk4 mutant sperm have reduced oocyte binding and are incompetent for in vitro fertilization, but they can still produce viable offspring via intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Optical and electron microscopy of HIPK4-null male germ cells reveals defects in the filamentous actin (F-actin)-scaffolded acroplaxome during spermatid elongation and abnormal head morphologies in mature spermatozoa. We further observe that HIPK4 overexpression induces branched F-actin structures in cultured fibroblasts and that HIPK4 deficiency alters the subcellular distribution of an F-actin capping protein in the testis, supporting a role for this kinase in cytoskeleton remodeling. Our findings establish HIPK4 as an essential regulator of sperm head shaping and potential target for male contraception.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Aaron Crapster
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Paul G Rack
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Zane J Hellmann
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Austen D Le
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Christopher M Adams
- Stanford University Mass Spectrometry, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Ryan D Leib
- Stanford University Mass Spectrometry, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Joshua E Elias
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - John Perrino
- Cell Science Imaging Facility, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Barry Behr
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Yanfeng Li
- Transgenic, Knockout, and Tumor Model Center, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Jennifer Lin
- Transgenic, Knockout, and Tumor Model Center, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Hong Zeng
- Transgenic, Knockout, and Tumor Model Center, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - James K Chen
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
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28
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Kent K, Johnston M, Strump N, Garcia TX. Toward Development of the Male Pill: A Decade of Potential Non-hormonal Contraceptive Targets. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:61. [PMID: 32161754 PMCID: PMC7054227 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With the continued steep rise of the global human population, and the paucity of safe and practical contraceptive options available to men, the need for development of effective and reversible non-hormonal methods of male fertility control is widely recognized. Currently there are several contraceptive options available to men, however, none of the non-hormonal alternatives have been clinically approved. To advance progress in the development of a safe and reversible contraceptive for men, further identification of novel reproductive tract-specific druggable protein targets is required. Here we provide an overview of genes/proteins identified in the last decade as specific or highly expressed in the male reproductive tract, with deletion phenotypes leading to complete male infertility in mice. These phenotypes include arrest of spermatogenesis and/or spermiogenesis, abnormal spermiation, abnormal spermatid morphology, abnormal sperm motility, azoospermia, globozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, and/or teratozoospermia, which are all desirable outcomes for a novel male contraceptive. We also consider other associated deletion phenotypes that could impact the desirability of a potential contraceptive. We further discuss novel contraceptive targets underscoring promising leads with the objective of presenting data for potential druggability and whether collateral effects may exist from paralogs with close sequence similarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Kent
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, TX, United States.,Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Madelaine Johnston
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Natasha Strump
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Thomas X Garcia
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, TX, United States.,Center for Drug Discovery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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29
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Schaschl H, Wallner B. Population-specific, recent positive directional selection suggests adaptation of human male reproductive genes to different environmental conditions. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:27. [PMID: 32054438 PMCID: PMC7020506 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1575-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Recent human transcriptomic analyses revealed a very large number of testis-enriched genes, many of which are involved in spermatogenesis. This comprehensive transcriptomic data lead us to the question whether positive selection was a decisive force influencing the evolution and variability of testis-enriched genes in humans. We used two methodological approaches to detect different levels of positive selection, namely episodic positive diversifying selection (i.e., past selection) in the human lineage within primate phylogeny, potentially driven by sperm competition, and recent positive directional selection in contemporary human populations, which would indicate adaptation to different environments. Results In the human lineage (after correction for multiple testing) we found that only the gene TULP2, for which no functional data are yet available, is subject to episodic positive diversifying selection. Using less stringent statistical criteria (uncorrected p-values), also the gene SPATA16, which has a pivotal role in male fertility and for which episodes of adaptive evolution have been suggested, also displays a putative signal of diversifying selection in the human branch. At the same time, we found evidence for recent positive directional selection acting on several human testis-enriched genes (MORC1, SLC9B1, ROPN1L, DMRT1, PLCZ1, RNF17, FAM71D and WBP2NL) that play important roles in human spermatogenesis and fertilization. Most of these genes are population-specifically under positive selection. Conclusion Episodic diversifying selection, possibly driven by sperm competition, was not an important force driving the evolution of testis-enriched genes in the human lineage. Population-specific, recent positive directional selection suggests an adaptation of male reproductive genes to different environmental conditions. Positive selection acts on eQTLS and sQTLs, indicating selective effects on important gene regulatory functions. In particular, the transcriptional diversity regulated by sQTLs in testis-enriched genes may be important for spermatocytes to respond to environmental and physiological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Schaschl
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Bernard Wallner
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
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30
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Fesahat F, Henkel R, Agarwal A. Globozoospermia syndrome: An update. Andrologia 2019; 52:e13459. [PMID: 31724759 DOI: 10.1111/and.13459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the factors involved in male infertility, there is a rare morphology disorder called "globozoospermia" that is classified into total globozoospermia and partial globozoospermia (type I and type II, respectively). This syndrome is primarily characterised by the presence of round-headed spermatozoa with cytoskeleton defects around the nucleus and no acrosome. Current data support the negative correlation between globozoospermia and conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes, revealing the need for the management of patients undergoing assisted reproduction technology (ART) through more effective treatment techniques. This review highlights the most important characteristics of globozoospermia such as sperm parameters, DNA/chromatin integrity and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), as well as genetic features based on the latest knowledge. Additionally, we looked into current progress on fertilisation potential and possible treatment strategies for patients presenting with globozoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Fesahat
- Reproductive Immunology Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Ralf Henkel
- Department of Medical Bioscience, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.,American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Ashok Agarwal
- American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
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31
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Malcher A, Jedrzejczak P, Stokowy T, Monem S, Nowicka-Bauer K, Zimna A, Czyzyk A, Maciejewska-Jeske M, Meczekalski B, Bednarek-Rajewska K, Wozniak A, Rozwadowska N, Kurpisz M. Novel Mutations Segregating with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and their Molecular Characteristics. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20215418. [PMID: 31671693 PMCID: PMC6861889 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20215418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We analyzed three cases of Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS) and report three hitherto undisclosed causes of the disease. RNA-Seq, Real-timePCR, Western immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry were performed with the aim of characterizing the disease-causing variants. In case No.1, we have identified a novel androgen receptor (AR) mutation (c.840delT) within the first exon in the N-terminal transactivation domain. This thymine deletion resulted in a frameshift and thus introduced a premature stop codon at amino acid 282. In case No.2, we observed a nonsynonymous mutation in the ligand-binding domain (c.2491C>T). Case No.3 did not reveal AR mutation; however, we have found a heterozygous mutation in CYP11A1 gene, which has a role in steroid hormone biosynthesis. Comparative RNA-Seq analysis of CAIS and control revealed 4293 significantly deregulated genes. In patients with CAIS, we observed a significant increase in the expression levels of PLCXD3, TM4SF18, CFI, GPX8, and SFRP4, and a significant decrease in the expression of SPATA16, TSACC, TCP10L, and DPY19L2 genes (more than 10-fold, p < 0.05). Our findings will be helpful in molecular diagnostics of patients with CAIS, as well as the identified genes could be also potential biomarkers for the germ cells differentiation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Malcher
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Piotr Jedrzejczak
- Division of Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecological Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-535 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Tomasz Stokowy
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Soroosh Monem
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland.
| | | | - Agnieszka Zimna
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Adam Czyzyk
- Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-535 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Marzena Maciejewska-Jeske
- Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-535 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Blazej Meczekalski
- Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-535 Poznan, Poland.
| | | | - Aldona Wozniak
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Natalia Rozwadowska
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Maciej Kurpisz
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland.
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Thirumavalavan N, Gabrielsen JS, Lamb DJ. Where are we going with gene screening for male infertility? Fertil Steril 2019; 111:842-850. [PMID: 31029238 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2019.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Male infertility is a heterogenous disease process requiring the proper functioning and interaction of thousands of genes. Given the number of genes involved, it is thought that genetic causes contribute to most cases of infertility. Identifying these causes, however, is challenging. Infertility is associated with negative health outcomes, such as cancer, highlighting the need to further understand the genetic underpinnings of this condition. This paper describes the genetic and genomic tests currently available to identify the etiology of male infertility and then will discuss emerging technologies that may facilitate diagnosis and treatment of in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dolores J Lamb
- Department of Urology, Center for Reproductive Genomics and Caryle and Israel Englander, Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York, New York.
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33
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Identification of multiple male reproductive tract-specific proteins that regulate sperm migration through the oviduct in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:18498-18506. [PMID: 31455729 PMCID: PMC6744855 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908736116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
While the emergence of gene modification technologies has produced major discoveries in biomedical sciences, the recent development of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has dramatically altered the trajectory of phenotypic analysis in animal models. In this study, we identified male-specific gene clusters (Cst and Pate) and family genes (Gdpd and Lypd) and found specific members to be required for male fertility, especially for sperm fertilizing ability. Our findings support the important roles of these proteins in sperm function and could be used to develop novel infertility treatments as well as contraceptives. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing technology enables researchers to efficiently generate and analyze genetically modified animals. We have taken advantage of this game-changing technology to uncover essential factors for fertility. In this study, we generated knockouts (KOs) of multiple male reproductive organ-specific genes and performed phenotypic screening of these null mutant mice to attempt to identify proteins essential for male fertility. We focused on making large deletions (dels) within 2 gene clusters encoding cystatin (CST) and prostate and testis expressed (PATE) proteins and individual gene mutations in 2 other gene families encoding glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase domain (GDPD) containing and lymphocyte antigen 6 (Ly6)/Plaur domain (LYPD) containing proteins. These gene families were chosen because many of the genes demonstrate male reproductive tract-specific expression. Although Gdpd1 and Gdpd4 mutant mice were fertile, disruptions of Cst and Pate gene clusters and Lypd4 resulted in male sterility or severe fertility defects secondary to impaired sperm migration through the oviduct. While absence of the epididymal protein families CST and PATE affect the localization of the sperm membrane protein A disintegrin and metallopeptidase domain 3 (ADAM3), the sperm acrosomal membrane protein LYPD4 regulates sperm fertilizing ability via an ADAM3-independent pathway. Thus, use of CRISPR/Cas9 technologies has allowed us to quickly rule in and rule out proteins required for male fertility and expand our list of male-specific proteins that function in sperm migration through the oviduct.
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34
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Ghédir H, Braham A, Viville S, Saad A, Ibala-Romdhane S. Comparison of sperm morphology and nuclear sperm quality in SPATA16- and DPY19L2-mutated globozoospermic patients. Andrologia 2019; 51:e13277. [PMID: 30912172 DOI: 10.1111/and.13277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the sperm morphology and nuclear sperm quality (sperm aneuploidy and DNA fragmentation) in two groups of globozoospermic patients: DPY19L2-mutated patients (n = 6) and SPATA16-mutated patients (n = 2). Results for these two groups were also compared to a group of fertile men (n = 25). Fluorescence in situ hybridisation was performed for chromosomes X, Y and 18. Sperm DNA fragmentation was evaluated by TUNEL assay. Sanger sequencing was performed for mutations screening of DPY19L2 and SPATA16 genes. Sperm analysis revealed a classic phenotype of total globozoospermia in DPY19L2-mutated group and a particular phenotype characterised by a predominance of double/multiple round-headed (39.00 ± 4.2%) and multi-tailed spermatozoa (26.00 ± 16.97%) in SPATA16-mutated group. FISH analysis showed a significantly higher aneuploidy rate in globozoospermic patients compared to controls (p < 0.05), and a higher rate was observed in SPATA16-mutated group compared to DPY19L2-mutated group (p < 0.05). DNA fragmentation index was significantly higher in globozoospermic men compared to controls (p < 0.001), and there is no statistically significant difference between the two globozoospermic groups. We showed that SPATA16 defects could be associated with an abnormal meiosis leading to a particular morphological sperm defect of double/multiple round-headed and multi-flagella and a higher sperm aneuploidy rate than in case of DPY19L2-defects in classic globozoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Ghédir
- Laboratoire de Cytogénétique, Génétique Moléculaire et Biologie de la Reproduction Humaine, CHU Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisie
| | - Asma Braham
- Laboratoire de Cytogénétique, Génétique Moléculaire et Biologie de la Reproduction Humaine, CHU Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisie
| | - Stéphane Viville
- Laboratoire de Diagnostic Génétique, UF3472-génétique de l'infertilité, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Ali Saad
- Laboratoire de Cytogénétique, Génétique Moléculaire et Biologie de la Reproduction Humaine, CHU Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisie.,Faculté de Médecine de Sousse, Université de Sousse, Sousse, Tunisie
| | - Samira Ibala-Romdhane
- Laboratoire de Cytogénétique, Génétique Moléculaire et Biologie de la Reproduction Humaine, CHU Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisie.,Faculté de Médecine de Sousse, Université de Sousse, Sousse, Tunisie
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35
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Genetic Factors Affecting Sperm Chromatin Structure. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1166:1-28. [PMID: 31301043 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-21664-1_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Spermatozoa genome has unique features that make it a fascinating field of investigation: first, because, with oocyte genome, it can be transmitted generation after generation; second, because of genetic shuffling during meiosis, each spermatozoon is virtually unique in terms of genetic content, with consequences for species evolution; and finally, because its chromatin organization is very different from that of somatic cells or oocytes, as it is not based on nucleosomes but on nucleoprotamines which confer a higher order of packaging. Histone-to-protamine transition involves many actors, such as regulators of spermatid gene expression, components of the nuclear envelop, histone-modifying enzymes and readers, chaperones, histone variants, transition proteins, protamines, and certainly many more to be discovered.In this book chapter, we will present what is currently known about sperm chromatin structure and how it is established during spermiogenesis, with the aim to list the genetic factors that regulate its organization.
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36
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Tran TN, Schimenti JC. A putative human infertility allele of the meiotic recombinase DMC1 does not affect fertility in mice. Hum Mol Genet 2018; 27:3911-3918. [PMID: 30085085 PMCID: PMC6216207 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing is becoming routine in clinical situations for identifying mutations underlying presumed genetic causes of disease including infertility. While this is a powerful approach for implicating polymorphisms or de novo mutations in genes plausibly related to the phenotype, a greater challenge is to definitively prove causality. This is a crucial requisite for treatment, especially for infertility, in which validation options are limited. In this study, we created a mouse model of a putative infertility allele, DMC1M200V. DMC1 encodes a RecA homolog essential for meiotic recombination and fertility in mice. This allele was originally implicated as being responsible for the sterility of a homozygous African woman, a conclusion supported by subsequent biochemical analyses of the mutant protein and by studies of yeast with the orthologous amino acid change. Here, we found that Dmc1M200V/M200V male and female mice are fully fertile and do not exhibit any gonadal abnormalities. Detailed immunocytological analysis of meiosis revealed no defects suggestive of compromised fertility. This study serves as a cautionary tale for making conclusions about consequences of genetic variants, especially with respect to infertility, and emphasizes the importance of conducting relevant biological assays for making accurate diagnoses in the era of genomic medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina N Tran
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - John C Schimenti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, USA
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37
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Li C, Fu Z, Yang Y, Yan J, Liu F, Zhao W, Zhang L, Wei L, Feng Z, Li D, Jiang LH. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of GABRR2 gene in RGC-5 cells induces random exon deletion, exon splicing and new exon recruitment. Biochem Eng J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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38
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Fujihara Y, Oji A, Kojima-Kita K, Larasati T, Ikawa M. Co-expression of sperm membrane proteins CMTM2A and CMTM2B is essential for ADAM3 localization and male fertility in mice. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs.221481. [PMID: 30209135 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.221481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemokines are signaling proteins that are secreted to induce chemotaxis during an immunological response. However, the functions of transmembrane-type chemokine-like factor (CKLF) and the CMTM (CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain containing) protein family remain to be determined. In this study, we focused on the testis-specific mouse CMTM gene cluster (Cmtm1, Cmtm2a and Cmtm2b) and generated CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutant mice to examine their physiological functions. Although Cmtm1 mutant mice were fertile, Cmtm2a and Cmtm2b double mutant mice had defects in male fertility due to impaired sperm function. We found that co-expression of sperm membrane proteins CMTM2A and CMTM2B is required for male fertility and affects the localization of the sperm membrane protein ADAM3 in regulating sperm fertilizing ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Fujihara
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Asami Oji
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuou-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kanako Kojima-Kita
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tamara Larasati
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masahito Ikawa
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan .,Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
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39
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Fujihara Y, Miyata H, Ikawa M. Factors controlling sperm migration through the oviduct revealed by gene-modified mouse models. Exp Anim 2018; 67:91-104. [PMID: 29353867 PMCID: PMC5955741 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.17-0153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian fertilization is comprised of many steps including sperm survival in the
uterus, sperm migration in the female reproductive tract, physiological and morphological
changes to the spermatozoa, and sperm-egg interaction in the oviduct. In
vitro studies have revealed essential factors for these fertilization steps for
over half a century. However, the molecular mechanism of fertilization has recently been
revised by the emergence of genetically modified animals. Here, we focus on essential
factors for sperm fertilizing ability and describe recent advances in our knowledge of the
mechanisms of mammalian fertilization, especially of sperm migration from the uterus into
the oviduct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Fujihara
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Miyata
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masahito Ikawa
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.,The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
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