Microarray analysis of microRNA expression patterns in the semen of infertile men with semen abnormalities

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in tissue development and the pathology of many diseases, however, the effects and roles of miRNAs in the development of semen abnormalities in infertile males have not yet been investigated. In this study, we analyzed and compared the miRNA expression profiles of abnormal semen from 86 infertile males with normal semen from 86 healthy males using an miRNA microarray. In total, 52 miRNAs were differentially expressed between the abnormal semen of infertile males and the normal semen of healthy males. The differential expression of selected miRNAs was validated by real time qRT-PCR and northern blotting: miR-574-5p, miR-297, miR-122, miR-1275, miR-373, miR-185 and miR-193b were upregulated (fold change>1.5, p<0.001) and miR-100, miR-512-3p, miR-16, miR-19b, miR-23b and miR-26a were downregulated (fold change<0.667, p<0.001) in the semen of infertile males with semen abnormalities. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into specific miRNAs that are associated with semen abnormalities in infertile males.

Differences in microRNA detection levels are technology and sequence dependent

“…The ability to detect a relative fold change of 10 was shown to be dependent on the platform, the specific miRNA, and on its quantity. Usually, when determining differential expression between samples, one selects statistically significant changes with a fold change of 1.5 or more (Liu et al 2012;Sokolov et al 2012). The present findings imply that the tested technologies are not sufficiently sensitive to detect concentration differences within the range and the number of replicates typically used for determining statistical differences in expression; further validation methods would be required.…”

Use of Circulating and Cellular miRNAs Expression in Forensic Sciences

“…The most well-known identification, isolation, and characterization methods for miRNAs are quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), miRNA arrays, RNA sequencing, or multiplex miRNA profiling. [8][9][10][11][12] In the following paper, we wish to present the biological and biochemical characteristics of miRNAs and their utility in the forensic laboratory, in accordance with their specificity and selectivity for certain biological fluids, tissues, or diseases.…”

MicroRNA-122 Influences the Development of Sperm Abnormalities from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells by Regulating TNP2 Expression

“…We previously determined the importance of TNPs and PRMs in sperm maturation [19]; however, very little is known about the mechanisms by which they are regulated during sperm development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of *22-nucleotide (nt) noncoding RNAs, participate in diverse biological functions by promoting the degradation or inhibiting the translation of their target mRNAs [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

“…On the other hand, in a previous study, miRNA microarray analysis was used to identify the miRNAs that are differentially expressed in abnormal infertile semen and normal fertile semen [19]. Microarray analysis revealed significant overexpression of 21 miRNAs in abnormal semen, as compared to normal semen.…”

“…MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of *22-nucleotide (nt) noncoding RNAs, participate in diverse biological functions by promoting the degradation or inhibiting the translation of their target mRNAs [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. Recent findings that individual miRNAs are expressed during spermatogenesis in a developmental stage-specific manner suggest that miRNAs participate in male germ cell development, by contributing to cell type-specific protein expression profiles during spermatogenesis [20].…”