Heat stress responses in spermatozoa: Mechanisms and consequences for cattle fertility

Rahman, Bahanur; Schellander, K.; Luceño, Núria Llamas; Soom, Ann Van

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.02.012

Cited by 94 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 122 publications

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“…In this study, we believe we present the first evidence for significant negative transgenerational effects as a consequence of heatwave exposure in the parental generation specifically through thermal impacts on mature, inseminated spermatozoa stored within the female reproductive tract. Such damage could occur through physical damage to the paternal haplotype within the sperm nucleus, possibly as a result of thermal impacts on DNA fragmentation and mutations 56 , 57 . Oocyte and zygote cell repair mechanisms can reverse sperm DNA damage through embryogenesis 58 , but this may not be possible following our heatwave treatment conditions if the DNA damage is sufficiently severe.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental heatwaves compromise sperm function and cause transgenerational damage in a model insect

et al. 2018

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Climate change is affecting biodiversity, but proximate drivers remain poorly understood. Here, we examine how experimental heatwaves impact on reproduction in an insect system. Male sensitivity to heat is recognised in endotherms, but ectotherms have received limited attention, despite comprising most of biodiversity and being more influenced by temperature variation. Using a flour beetle model system, we find that heatwave conditions (5 to 7 °C above optimum for 5 days) damaged male, but not female, reproduction. Heatwaves reduce male fertility and sperm competitiveness, and successive heatwaves almost sterilise males. Heatwaves reduce sperm production, viability, and migration through the female. Inseminated sperm in female storage are also damaged by heatwaves. Finally, we discover transgenerational impacts, with reduced reproductive potential and lifespan of offspring when fathered by males, or sperm, that had experienced heatwaves. This male reproductive damage under heatwave conditions provides one potential driver behind biodiversity declines and contractions through global warming.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental heatwaves compromise sperm function and cause transgenerational damage in a model insect

et al. 2018

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“…Another adverse environmental factor that has been shown to interfere with reprogramming of the paternal methylome in cattle embryos is the exposure of male germ cells to heat stress during spermatogenesis. Spermatozoa from heat-stressed bulls also exhibit defects in the replacement of histones by protamines, altered chromatin conformation and reduced fertilisation rates (Rahman et al 2018).…”

Section: Postfertilisation Reprogramming Of the Sperm Dna Methylomementioning

confidence: 99%

DNA methylation in bull spermatozoa: evolutionary impacts, interindividual variability, and contribution to the embryo

Kiefer

Perrier

2020

Can. J. Anim. Sci.

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The DNA methylome of spermatozoa results from a unique epigenetic reprogramming crucial for chromatin compaction and the protection of the paternal genetic heritage. Although bull semen is widely used for artificial insemination (AI), little is known about the sperm epigenome in cattle. The purpose of this review is to synthetize recent work on the bull sperm methylome in light of the knowledge accumulated in humans and model species. We will address sperm-specific DNA methylation features and their potential evolutionary impacts, with particular emphasis on hypomethylated regions and repetitive elements. We will review recent examples of interindividual variability and intra-individual plasticity of the bull sperm methylome as related to fertility and age, respectively. Finally, we will address paternal methylome reprogramming after fertilization, as well as the mechanisms potentially involved in epigenetic inheritance, and provide some examples of disturbances that alter the dynamics of reprogramming in cattle. Because the selection of AI bulls is closely based on their genotypes, we will also discuss the complex interplay between sequence polymorphism and DNA methylation, which represents both a difficulty in addressing the role of DNA methylation in shaping phenotypes and an opportunity to better understand genome plasticity.

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“…In keeping with RAP2's function, a study in bulls found that spermatogonia undergoing 571 meiosis during spermatogenesis were susceptible to heat stress (Rahman et al, 2018). 572…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

A thorough RNA-seq characterization of the porcine sperm transcriptome and its seasonal changes

Gòdia

Estill

Castelló

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Understanding the molecular basis of cell function and ultimate phenotypes is crucial for the development of biological markers. With this aim, several RNA-seq studies have been devoted to characterize the transcriptome of ejaculated spermatozoa in relation to sperm quality and fertility. Semen quality follows a seasonal pattern and decays in the summer months in several animal species. The aim of this study was to deeply profile the transcriptome of the boar sperm and to evaluate its seasonal changes. We sequenced the total and the short fractions of the sperm RNA from 10 Pietrain boars, 5 collected in summer and 5 five sampled in winter, and identified a complex and rich transcriptome with 4,436 coding genes of moderate to high abundance. Transcript fragmentation was high but less obvious in genes related to spermatogenesis, chromatin compaction and fertility. Short non-coding RNAs mostly included piwi-interacting RNAs, transfer RNAs and micro-RNAs. We also compared the transcriptome of the summer and the winter ejaculates and identified 34 coding genes and 7 micro-RNAs with a significantly distinct distribution. These genes were mostly related to oxidative stress, DNA damage and autophagy. This is the deepest characterization of the boar sperm transcriptome and the first study linking the transcriptome and the seasonal variability of semen quality in animals. The annotation described here can be used as a reference for the identification of markers of sperm quality in pigs.

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Heat stress responses in spermatozoa: Mechanisms and consequences for cattle fertility

Cited by 94 publications

References 122 publications

Experimental heatwaves compromise sperm function and cause transgenerational damage in a model insect

Experimental heatwaves compromise sperm function and cause transgenerational damage in a model insect

DNA methylation in bull spermatozoa: evolutionary impacts, interindividual variability, and contribution to the embryo

A thorough RNA-seq characterization of the porcine sperm transcriptome and its seasonal changes

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