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Li HT, Zhong K, Xia YF, Song J, Chen XQ, Zhao W, Zeng XH, Chen TX. Puerarin improves busulfan-induced disruption of spermatogenesis by inhibiting MAPK pathways. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 165:115231. [PMID: 37516022 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Male infertility is a global concern, with a noticeable increase in the decline of spermatogenesis and sperm quality. However, there are limited clinically effective treatments available. This study aimed to investigate the potential effectiveness of puerarin in treating male infertility, which leads to gonadal changes. The results obtained from various analyses such as CASA, immunofluorescence, DIFF-Quick, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining demonstrated that puerarin supplementation significantly alleviated the busulfan-induced reduction in spermatogenesis and sperm quality in both young and adult mice. Furthermore, puerarin exhibited a marked improvement in the damage caused by busulfan to the architecture of seminiferous tubules, causal epididymis, blood-testicular barrier (BTB), as well as spermatogonia and Sertoli cells. Similarly, puerarin significantly reduced the levels of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and caspase-3 in the testes of busulfan-induced mice, as determined by microplate reader analysis. Additionally, RNA-seq data, RT-qPCR, and western blotting revealed that puerarin restored the abnormal gene expressions induced by busulfan to nearly healthy levels. Notably, puerarin significantly reversed the impact of busulfan on the expression of marker genes involved in spermatogenesis and oxidative stress. Moreover, puerarin suppressed the phosphorylation of p38, ERK1/2, and JNK in the testes, as observed through testicular analysis. Consequently, this study concludes that puerarin may serve as a potential alternative for treating busulfan-induced damage to male fertility by inactivating the testicular MAPK pathways. These findings may pave the way for the use of puerarin in addressing chemotherapy- or other factors-induced male infertility in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Tao Li
- Medical School, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kun Zhong
- Medical School, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yun-Fei Xia
- Department of Rheumatology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China
| | - Jian Song
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China
| | - Xiao-Qing Chen
- Human Resources Division and Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- School of Laboratory Medicine, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China.
| | - Xu-Hui Zeng
- Medical School, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Tian-Xing Chen
- Medical School, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China.
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2
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Kirsanov O, Johnson TA, Niedenberger BA, Malachowski TN, Hale BJ, Chen Q, Lackford B, Wang J, Singh A, Schindler K, Hermann BP, Hu G, Geyer CB. Retinoic acid is dispensable for meiotic initiation but required for spermiogenesis in the mammalian testis. Development 2023; 150:dev201638. [PMID: 37350382 PMCID: PMC10357014 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201638] [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: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) is the proposed mammalian 'meiosis inducing substance'. However, evidence for this role comes from studies in the fetal ovary, where germ cell differentiation and meiotic initiation are temporally inseparable. In the postnatal testis, these events are separated by more than 1 week. Exploiting this difference, we discovered that, although RA is required for spermatogonial differentiation, it is dispensable for the subsequent initiation, progression and completion of meiosis. Indeed, in the absence of RA, the meiotic transcriptome program in both differentiating spermatogonia and spermatocytes entering meiosis was largely unaffected. Instead, transcripts encoding factors required during spermiogenesis were aberrant during preleptonema, and the subsequent spermatid morphogenesis program was disrupted such that no sperm were produced. Taken together, these data reveal a RA-independent model for male meiotic initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleksandr Kirsanov
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Taylor A. Johnson
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Bryan A. Niedenberger
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Taylor N. Malachowski
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Benjamin J. Hale
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Qing Chen
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA
| | - Brad Lackford
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA
| | - Anukriti Singh
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Karen Schindler
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Brian P. Hermann
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Guang Hu
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA
| | - Christopher B. Geyer
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
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3
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Du S, Li W, Zhang Y, Xue Y, Hou X, Yan J, Cheng J, Deng B, McComb DW, Lin J, Zeng H, Cheng X, Irvine DJ, Weiss R, Dong Y. Cholesterol-Amino-Phosphate (CAP) Derived Lipid Nanoparticles for Delivery of Self-Amplifying RNA and Restoration of Spermatogenesis in Infertile Mice. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2300188. [PMID: 36748274 PMCID: PMC10104632 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Male infertility caused by genetic mutations is an important type of infertility. Currently, there is no reliable method in the clinic to address this medical need. The emergence of mRNA therapy provides a possible strategy for restoring mutant genes in the reproductive system. However, effective delivery of mRNA to spermatocytes remains a formidable challenge. Here a series of cholesterol-amino-phosphate (CAP) lipids are reported by integrating three bioactive moieties into a geometric structure, which is favorable for mRNA delivery. The results demonstrate that CAP-derived lipid nanoparticles (CAP LNPs) can deliver RNA including traditional mRNA and self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) encoding DNA Meiotic Recombinase 1 (Dmc1) protein in spermatocytes and treat male infertility caused by the Dmc1 gene mutation. Notably, the delivery efficiency of CAP LNPs is significantly higher than that of the MC3 and ALC-0315 LNPs, which is consistent with the design of CAP molecules. More importantly, a single injection of CAP LNPs-saRNA can produce Dmc1 protein for an extended period, which restores the spermatogenesis in the Dmc1 gene knockout mouse model. Overall, this study proves the concept of LNPs for the delivery of mRNA to spermatocytes, which provides a unique method to probe male infertility caused by the genetic mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Du
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Wenqing Li
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Yuebao Zhang
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Yonger Xue
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Xucheng Hou
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Jingyue Yan
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Jeffrey Cheng
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Binbin Deng
- Center for Electron Microscopy and AnalysisThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43212USA
| | - David W. McComb
- Center for Electron Microscopy and AnalysisThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43212USA
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Jennifer Lin
- TransgenicKnockoutand Tumor Model CenterStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Hong Zeng
- TransgenicKnockoutand Tumor Model CenterStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Xiaolin Cheng
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and PharmacognosyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
| | - Darrell J. Irvine
- Department of Biological EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMA02139USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMA02139USA
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMA02139USA
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General HospitalMassachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard UniversityCambridgeMA02139USA
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseMD20815USA
| | - Ron Weiss
- Department of Biological EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMA02139USA
- Synthetic Biology CenterMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMA02139USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMA02139USA
| | - Yizhou Dong
- Division of Pharmaceutics & PharmacologyCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringCenter for Clinical and Translational ScienceComprehensive Cancer CenterDorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research InstituteDepartment of Radiation OncologyCenter for Cancer EngineeringCenter for Cancer MetabolismPelotonia Institute for Immune‐OncologyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOH43210USA
- Icahn Genomics InstitutePrecision Immunology InstituteDepartment of Oncological SciencesTisch Cancer Institute, Friedman Brain InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNY10029USA
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4
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Campbell KM, Xu Y, Patel C, Rayl JM, Zomer HD, Osuru HP, Pratt M, Pramoonjago P, Timken M, Miller LM, Ralph A, Storey KM, Peng Y, Drnevich J, Lagier-Tourenne C, Wong PC, Qiao H, Reddi PP. Loss of TDP-43 in male germ cells causes meiotic failure and impairs fertility in mice. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101231. [PMID: 34599968 PMCID: PMC8569592 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Meiotic arrest is a common cause of human male infertility, but the causes of this arrest are poorly understood. Transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) is highly expressed in spermatocytes in the preleptotene and pachytene stages of meiosis. TDP-43 is linked to several human neurodegenerative disorders wherein its nuclear clearance accompanied by cytoplasmic aggregates underlies neurodegeneration. Exploring the functional requirement for TDP-43 for spermatogenesis for the first time, we show here that conditional KO (cKO) of the Tardbp gene (encoding TDP-43) in male germ cells of mice leads to reduced testis size, depletion of germ cells, vacuole formation within the seminiferous epithelium, and reduced sperm production. Fertility trials also indicated severe subfertility. Spermatocytes of cKO mice showed failure to complete prophase I of meiosis with arrest at the midpachytene stage. Staining of synaptonemal complex protein 3 and γH2AX, markers of the meiotic synaptonemal complex and DNA damage, respectively, and super illumination microscopy revealed nonhomologous pairing and synapsis defects. Quantitative RT-PCR showed reduction in the expression of genes critical for prophase I of meiosis, including Spo11 (initiator of meiotic double-stranded breaks), Rec8 (meiotic recombination protein), and Rad21L (RAD21-like, cohesin complex component), as well as those involved in the retinoic acid pathway critical for entry into meiosis. RNA-Seq showed 1036 upregulated and 1638 downregulated genes (false discovery rate <0.05) in the Tardbp cKO testis, impacting meiosis pathways. Our work reveals a crucial role for TDP-43 in male meiosis and suggests that some forms of meiotic arrest seen in infertile men may result from the loss of function of TDP-43.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn M Campbell
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Yiding Xu
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Chintan Patel
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Jeremy M Rayl
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Helena D Zomer
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Hari Prasad Osuru
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Michael Pratt
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Patcharin Pramoonjago
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Madeline Timken
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Lyndzi M Miller
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Abigail Ralph
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Kathryn M Storey
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Yiheng Peng
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Jenny Drnevich
- High-Performance Biological Computing (HPCBio) Group, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Philip C Wong
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Huanyu Qiao
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Prabhakara P Reddi
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
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5
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Fan X, Zhu Y, Wang N, Zhang B, Zhang C, Wang Y. Therapeutic Dose of Hydroxyurea-Induced Synaptic Abnormalities on the Mouse Spermatocyte. Front Physiol 2021; 12:666339. [PMID: 34305635 PMCID: PMC8299468 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.666339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydroxyurea (HU) is a widely used pharmacological therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD). However, replication stress caused by HU has been shown to inhibit premeiotic S-phase DNA, leading to reproductive toxicity in germ cells. In this study, we administered the therapeutic doses of HU (i.e., 25 and 50 mg/kg) to male mice to explore whether replication stress by HU affects pachytene spermatocytes and causes the abnormalities of homologous chromosomes pairing and recombination during prophase I of meiosis. In comparison with the control group, the proportions of spermatocyte gaps were significantly different in the experimental groups injected with 25 mg/kg (p < 0.05) and 50 mg/kg of HU (p < 0.05). Moreover, the proportions of unrepaired double-stranded breaks (DSBs) observed by γH2AX staining also corresponded to a higher HU dose with a greater number of breaks. Additionally, a reduction in the counts of recombination foci on the autosomal SCs was observed in the pachytene spermatocytes. Our results reveal that HU has some effects on synaptonemal complex (SC) formation and DSB repair which suggest possible problems in fertility. Therefore, this study provides new evidence of the mechanisms underlying HU reproductive toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Fan
- Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics, School of Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Yunxia Zhu
- The Center of Reproductive Medicine, Xuzhou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Xuzhou, China
| | - Naixin Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics, School of Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Bing Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics, School of Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Cui Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics, School of Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Yanan Wang
- Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics, School of Bioengineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China
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6
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Dai X, Jiang Y, Gu J, Jiang Z, Wu Y, Yu C, Yin H, Zhang J, Shi Q, Shen L, Sha Q, Fan H. The CNOT4 Subunit of the CCR4-NOT Complex is Involved in mRNA Degradation, Efficient DNA Damage Repair, and XY Chromosome Crossover during Male Germ Cell Meiosis. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:2003636. [PMID: 34026442 PMCID: PMC8132151 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202003636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The CCR4-NOT complex is a major mRNA deadenylase in eukaryotes, comprising the catalytic subunits CNOT6/6L and CNOT7/8, as well as CNOT4, a regulatory subunit with previously undetermined functions. These subunits have been hypothesized to play synergistic biochemical functions during development. Cnot7 knockout male mice have been reported to be infertile. In this study, viable Cnot6/6l double knockout mice are constructed, and the males are fertile. These results indicate that CNOT7 has CNOT6/6L-independent functions in vivo. It is also demonstrated that CNOT4 is required for post-implantation embryo development and meiosis progression during spermatogenesis. Conditional knockout of Cnot4 in male germ cells leads to defective DNA damage repair and homologous crossover between X and Y chromosomes. CNOT4 functions as a previously unrecognized mRNA adaptor of CCR4-NOT by targeting mRNAs to CNOT7 for deadenylation of poly(A) tails, thereby mediating the degradation of a subset of transcripts from the zygotene to pachytene stage. The mRNA removal promoted by the CNOT4-regulated CCR4-NOT complex during the zygotene-to-pachytene transition is crucial for the appropriate expression of genes involved in the subsequent events of spermatogenesis, normal DNA double-strand break repair during meiosis, efficient crossover between X and Y chromosomes, and ultimately, male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing‐Xing Dai
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Yu Jiang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Jia‐Hui Gu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Zhi‐Yan Jiang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Yun‐Wen Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Chao Yu
- College of Life ScienceZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Hao Yin
- First Affiliated Hospital of USTCHefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at MicroscaleSchool of Basic Medical SciencesDivision of Life Sciences and MedicineCAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell ScienceUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei230027China
| | - Jue Zhang
- Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan ProvinceReproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC‐XIANGYAChangsha410008China
| | - Qing‐Hua Shi
- First Affiliated Hospital of USTCHefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at MicroscaleSchool of Basic Medical SciencesDivision of Life Sciences and MedicineCAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell ScienceUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei230027China
| | - Li Shen
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Qian‐Qian Sha
- Fertility Preservation LaboratoryReproductive Medicine CenterGuangdong Second Provincial General HospitalGuangzhou510317China
| | - Heng‐Yu Fan
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling NetworkLife Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
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7
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Choi H, Wang Z, Dean J. Sperm acrosome overgrowth and infertility in mice lacking chromosome 18 pachytene piRNA. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009485. [PMID: 33831001 PMCID: PMC8057611 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
piRNAs are small non-coding RNAs required to maintain genome integrity and preserve RNA homeostasis during male gametogenesis. In murine adult testes, the highest levels of piRNAs are present in the pachytene stage of meiosis, but their mode of action and function remain incompletely understood. We previously reported that BTBD18 binds to 50 pachytene piRNA-producing loci. Here we show that spermatozoa in gene-edited mice lacking a BTBD18 targeted pachytene piRNA cluster on Chr18 have severe sperm head dysmorphology, poor motility, impaired acrosome exocytosis, zona pellucida penetration and are sterile. The mutant phenotype arises from aberrant formation of proacrosomal vesicles, distortion of the trans-Golgi network, and up-regulation of GOLGA2 transcripts and protein associated with acrosome dysgenesis. Collectively, our findings reveal central role of pachytene piRNAs in controlling spermiogenesis and male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heejin Choi
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Zhengpin Wang
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Jurrien Dean
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
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8
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A framework for high-resolution phenotyping of candidate male infertility mutants: from human to mouse. Hum Genet 2020; 140:155-182. [PMID: 32248361 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-020-02159-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Male infertility is a heterogeneous condition of largely unknown etiology that affects at least 7% of men worldwide. Classical genetic approaches and emerging next-generation sequencing studies support genetic variants as a frequent cause of male infertility. Meanwhile, the barriers to transmission of this disease mean that most individual genetic cases will be rare, but because of the large percentage of the genome required for spermatogenesis, the number of distinct causal mutations is potentially large. Identifying bona fide causes of male infertility thus requires advanced filtering techniques to select for high-probability candidates, including the ability to test causality in animal models. The mouse remains the gold standard for defining the genotype-phenotype connection in male fertility. Here, we present a best practice guide consisting of (a) major points to consider when interpreting next-generation sequencing data performed on infertile men, and, (b) a systematic strategy to categorize infertility types and how they relate to human male infertility. Phenotyping infertility in mice can involve investigating the function of multiple cell types across the testis and epididymis, as well as sperm function. These findings will feed into the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility as well as male health broadly.
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9
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Jiang Y, Zhang HY, Lin Z, Zhu YZ, Yu C, Sha QQ, Tong MH, Shen L, Fan HY. CXXC finger protein 1-mediated histone H3 lysine-4 trimethylation is essential for proper meiotic crossover formation in mice. Development 2020; 147:dev183764. [PMID: 32094118 DOI: 10.1242/dev.183764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The most significant feature of meiosis is the recombination process during prophase I. CXXC finger protein 1 (CXXC1) binds to CpG islands and mediates the deposition of H3K4me3 by the SETD1 complex. CXXC1 is also predicted to recruit H3K4me3-marked regions to the chromosome axis for the generation of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the prophase of meiosis. Therefore, we deleted Cxxc1 before the onset of meiosis with Stra8-Cre The conditional knockout mice were completely sterile with spermatogenesis arrested at MII. Knockout of Cxxc1 led to a decrease in the H3K4me3 level from the pachytene to the MII stage and caused transcriptional disorder. Many spermatogenesis pathway genes were expressed early leading to abnormal acrosome formation in arrested MII cells. In meiotic prophase, deletion of Cxxc1 caused delayed DSB repair and improper crossover formation in cells at the pachytene stage, and more than half of the diplotene cells exhibited precocious homologous chromosome segregation in both male and female meiosis. Cxxc1 deletion also led to a significant decrease of H3K4me3 enrichment at DMC1-binding sites, which might compromise DSB generation. Taken together, our results show that CXXC1 is essential for proper meiotic crossover formation in mice and suggest that CXXC1-mediated H3K4me3 plays an essential role in meiotic prophase of spermatogenesis and oogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Jiang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hui-Ying Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zhen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ye-Zhang Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chao Yu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qian-Qian Sha
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ming-Han Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Li Shen
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Heng-Yu Fan
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Management of Zhejiang Province, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China
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Blokhina YP, Olaya I, Burgess SM. Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Zebrafish Spermatocytes. J Vis Exp 2020. [PMID: 32202531 DOI: 10.3791/60671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Meiosis is the key cellular process required to create haploid gametes for sexual reproduction. Model organisms have been instrumental in understanding the chromosome events that take place during meiotic prophase, including the pairing, synapsis, and recombination events that ensure proper chromosome segregation. While the mouse has been an important model for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes, not all meiotic events in this system are analogous to human meiosis. We recently demonstrated the exciting potential of the zebrafish as a model of human spermatogenesis. Here we describe, in detail, our methods to visualize meiotic chromosomes and associated proteins in chromosome spread preparations. These preparations have the advantage of allowing high resolution analysis of chromosome structures. First, we describe the procedure for dissecting testes from adult zebrafish, followed by cell dissociation, lysis, and spreading of the chromosomes. Next, we describe the procedure for detecting the localization of meiotic chromosome proteins, by immunofluorescence detection, and nucleic acid sequences, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). These techniques comprise a useful set of tools for the cytological analysis of meiotic chromatin architecture in the zebrafish system. Researchers in the zebrafish community should be able to quickly master these techniques and incorporate them into their standard analyses of reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana P Blokhina
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis; Integrative Genetics and Genomics Graduate Group, University of California, Davis
| | - Ivan Olaya
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis; Integrative Genetics and Genomics Graduate Group, University of California, Davis
| | - Sean M Burgess
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis;
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