Sperm transcriptome profiling in oligozoospermia

Abstract

Purpose Investigate in what extent sperm transcriptome of infertile men is different from that of fertile individuals. Methods Semen samples were collected for determination of sperm parameters as well as for RNA isolation. Gene expression profile was investigated in spermatozoa of 8 infertile and 3 fertile men by microarray analysis using the Affymetrix Chip HG-U133 Plus 2.0. Result(s)We observed up to 33-fold reduction expression of genes involved in spermatogenesis and sperm motility. Furthermore, there is an important decrease in expression of genes involved in DNA repair as well as oxidative stress regulation. In this study, we also show a striking drop in expression of histone modification genes. Conclusion(s) We found that transcription profile in germ cells of men with idiopathic infertility is different from that of fertile individuals. Interestingly, about 15% of the regulated genes (Eddy Rev Reprod 4:23-30, 1999) play a role in spermatogenesis.

The protein and transcript profiles of human semen

“…Ontological and pathway mapping of these differential transcripts showed that different pathways were disrupted, reflective of the altered semen parameter. These included: abnormal sperm morphology characteristic of teratozoospermia as evidenced by changes in the ubiquitin-proteasome and apoptotic pathways (Platts et al 2007); low sperm motility characteristic of asthenozoospermia as evidenced by changes in the ubiquinone biosynthesis pathway (Jodar et al 2012); and low sperm count characteristic of oligozoospermia as evidenced through changes in DNA repair and oxidative stress regulation (Montjean et al 2012). These results provided insight into the possible pathological mechanisms reflecting the different subtypes of male infertility.…”

Human spermatozoal RNAs

“…The global analysis of spermatozoal mRNAs using microarray technologies greatly contributed to the understanding of mRNA complexity in mature spermatozoa, and has revealed specific mRNA patterns that correlate with male fertility and infertility (52)(53)(54)(55)(56), teratozoospermia (57), smoking (58), and cryptorchidism effects (59).…”

No association ofTP53 codon 72 SNP with male infertility: a study in a Chinese population and a meta-analysis

“…Male infertility mainly results from azoospermia or oligospermia [Filipponi and Feil 2009], primarily from Y chromosome microdeletions [Sadeghi-Nejad and Farrokhi 2009]. Multiple factors are known to impact spermatogenesis, such as environmental disruptors, genetics, testes pathologies, and multivariant lifestyles [Montjean et al 2012]. The interest towards genetic susceptibility factors contributing to male infertility is increasing, However, only a small proportion of the genes and few polymorphisms have been identified in the infertile male [Carrell et al 2006] due to the multifactorial nature of male infertility.…”