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Molecular Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 14718

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Prof. Dr. Fernando Juan Peña Vega

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Equine Reproduction, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Extremadura, Avd de la Universidad s/n, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: flow cytometry applied to sperm analysis; redox regulation of sperm function; cryopreservation; impact of sperm in early embryo
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the second volume of our previous Special Issue, "Molecular Biology of Spermatozoa". The spermatozoon is a very special cell; it is generated in the male reproductive tract, and has to travel to the female reproductive tract, of another individual, to fertilize an egg. This amazing journey, however, has to be able to respond and adapt to dramatically changing environments. The last decade has witnessed huge advances in the understanding of the molecular biology of this particular cell; these findings have provided new clues to understand male infertility and the impact of reproductive technologies in sperm function. Thus, empirical approaches for sperm conservation are being substituted by approaches based in translational research. As a transcriptionally-silent cell, spermatozoa largely depend on post-translational modifications of proteins to regulate their functions; among these regulatory mechanisms, redox regulation plays a relevant role, and deregulation of redox homeostasis is behind male factor infertility. With the incorporation of “omics”, lipidomics, epigenomics proteomics, and metabolomics to the study of the spermatozoa, the knowledge of sperm function has increased significantly in the last decade; developments in image analysis and advanced flow cytometry have also significantly contributed to this advance.

Prof. Dr. Fernando Juan Peña Vega
Guest Editor

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Keywords

sperm
flow cytometry
proteomics
epigenomics
redox regulation
lipidomics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 21508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parkinson Disease Protein 7 (PARK7) Is Related to the Ability of Mammalian Sperm to Undergo In Vitro Capacitation

by Sandra Recuero, Ariadna Delgado-Bermúdez, Yentel Mateo-Otero, Estela Garcia-Bonavila, Marc Llavanera and Marc Yeste

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10804; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910804 - 06 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1879

Abstract

Parkinson disease protein 7 (PARK7) is a multifunctional protein known to be involved in the regulation of sperm motility, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress response in mammalian sperm. While ROS generation is needed to activate the downstream signaling pathways required for sperm to undergo capacitation, oxidative stress has detrimental effects for sperm cells and a precise balance between ROS levels and antioxidant activity is needed. Considering the putative antioxidant role of PARK7, the present work sought to determine whether this protein is related to the sperm ability to withstand in vitro capacitation. To this end, and using the pig as a model, semen samples were incubated in capacitation medium for 300 min; the acrosomal exocytosis was triggered by the addition of progesterone after 240 min of incubation. At each relevant time point (0, 120, 240, 250, and 300 min), sperm motility, acrosome and plasma membrane integrity, membrane lipid disorder, mitochondrial membrane potential, intracellular calcium and ROS were evaluated. In addition, localization and protein levels of PARK7 were also assessed through immunofluorescence and immunoblotting. Based on the relative content of PARK7, two groups of samples were set. As early as 120 min of incubation, sperm samples with larger PARK7 content showed higher percentages of viable and acrosome-intact sperm, lipid disorder and superoxide levels, and lower intracellular calcium levels when compared to sperm samples with lower PARK7. These data suggest that PARK7 could play a role in preventing sperm from undergoing premature capacitation, maintaining sperm viability and providing a better ability to keep ROS homeostasis, which is needed to elicit sperm capacitation. Further studies are required to elucidate the antioxidant properties of PARK7 during in vitro capacitation and acrosomal exocytosis of mammalian sperm, and the relationship between PARK7 and sperm motility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)

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14 pages, 1001 KiB

Open AccessArticle

(Pro)renin Receptor Is Present in Human Sperm and It Adversely Affects Sperm Fertility Ability

by Marta Gianzo, Itziar Urizar-Arenaza, Iraia Muñoa-Hoyos, Zaloa Larreategui, Nicolás Garrido, Jon Irazusta and Nerea Subirán

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(6), 3215; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22063215 - 22 Mar 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1909

Abstract

Sperm fertility ability may be modulated by different molecular systems, such as the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Although renin is one of its most relevant peptides, the presence and role of the (pro)renin receptor (PRR) is completely unknown. We have proved for the first time the existence of PRR and its transcript in human sperm by western blot and RT-PCR. Immunofluorescence studies showed that this receptor is mainly located in the apical region over the acrosome and in the postacrosomal region of the sperm head and along the sperm tail. In addition, this prospective cohort study also proves that semen samples with higher percentages of PRR-positive spermatozoa are associated with poor sperm motility, worse blastocyst development and no-viable blastocysts. Our results provide insight into how PRR play a negative role in sperm physiology that it may condition human embryo quality and development. An in-depth understanding of the role of PRR in sperm fertility can help elucidate its role in male infertility, as well as establish biomarkers for the diagnosis or selection of sperm to use during assisted reproductive techniques. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)

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13 pages, 1502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Suppression of Non-Random Fertilization by MHC Class I Antigens

by Junki Kamiya, Woojin Kang, Keiichi Yoshida, Ryota Takagi, Seiya Kanai, Maito Hanai, Akihiro Nakamura, Mitsutoshi Yamada, Yoshitaka Miyamoto, Mami Miyado, Yoko Kuroki, Yoshiki Hayashi, Akihiro Umezawa, Natsuko Kawano and Kenji Miyado

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(22), 8731; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21228731 - 19 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 6839

Abstract

Hermaphroditic invertebrates and plants have a self-recognition system on the cell surface of sperm and eggs, which prevents their self-fusion and enhances non-self-fusion, thereby contributing to genetic variation. However, the system of sperm–egg recognition in mammals is under debate. To address this issue, we explored the role of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC class I, also known as histocompatibility 2-K^b or H2-K^b and H2-D^b in mice) antigens by analyzing H2-K^b-/-H2-D^b-/-β2-microglobulin (β2M)^-/- triple-knockout (T-KO) male mice with full fertility. T-KO sperm exhibited an increased sperm number in the perivitelline space of wild-type (WT) eggs in vitro. Moreover, T-KO sperm showed multiple fusion with zona pellucida (ZP)-free WT eggs, implying that the ability of polyspermy block for sperm from T-KO males was weakened in WT eggs. When T-KO male mice were intercrossed with WT female mice, the percentage of females in progeny increased. We speculate that WT eggs prefer fusion with T-KO sperm, more specifically X-chromosome-bearing sperm (X sperm), suggesting the presence of preferential (non-random) fertilization in mammals, including humans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)

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20 pages, 1616 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aging Induces Profound Changes in sncRNA in Rat Sperm and These Changes Are Modified by Perinatal Exposure to Environmental Flame Retardant

by Alexander Suvorov, J. Richard Pilsner, Vladimir Naumov, Victoria Shtratnikova, Anna Zheludkevich, Evgeny Gerasimov, Maria Logacheva and Oleg Sergeyev

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(21), 8252; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21218252 - 04 Nov 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3440

Abstract

Advanced paternal age at fertilization is a risk factor for multiple disorders in offspring and may be linked to age-related epigenetic changes in the father’s sperm. An understanding of aging-related epigenetic changes in sperm and environmental factors that modify such changes is needed. Here, we characterize changes in sperm small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) between young pubertal and mature rats. We also analyze the modification of these changes by exposure to environmental xenobiotic 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47). sncRNA libraries prepared from epididymal spermatozoa were sequenced and analyzed using DESeq 2. The distribution of small RNA fractions changed with age, with fractions mapping to rRNA and lncRNA decreasing and fractions mapping to tRNA and miRNA increasing. In total, 249 miRNA, 908 piRNA and 227 tRNA-derived RNA were differentially expressed (twofold change, false discovery rate (FDR) p ≤ 0.05) between age groups in control animals. Differentially expressed miRNA and piRNA were enriched for protein-coding targets involved in development and metabolism, while piRNA were enriched for long terminal repeat (LTR) targets. BDE-47 accelerated age-dependent changes in sncRNA in younger animals, decelerated these changes in older animals and increased the variance in expression of all sncRNA. Our results indicate that the natural aging process has profound effects on sperm sncRNA profiles and this effect may be modified by environmental exposure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)

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