Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul;385(1):207-222.
doi: 10.1007/s00441-021-03443-6. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Deciphering the complexity of sperm transcriptome reveals genes governing functional membrane and acrosome integrities potentially influence fertility

Sellappan Selvaraju  1 , Laxman Ramya  2 , Sivashanmugam Parthipan  2 , Divakar Swathi  2 , Bala Krishnan Binsila  2 , Atul P Kolte  3
Affiliations

Deciphering the complexity of sperm transcriptome reveals genes governing functional membrane and acrosome integrities potentially influence fertility

Sellappan Selvaraju et al. Cell Tissue Res. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Deciphering sperm transcriptome is the key to understanding the molecular mechanisms governing peri-fertilization, embryonic development, and pregnancy establishment. This study aimed to profile sperm transcriptome to identify signature transcripts regulating male fertility. Semen samples were collected from 47 bulls with varied fertility rates. The sperm total RNA was isolated (n = 8) and subjected to transcriptome sequencing. Based on the expression pattern obtained from RNA profiling, the bulls were grouped (p = 0.03) into high-fertile and sub-fertile, and signature transcripts controlling sperm functions and fertility were identified. The results were validated using the OMIM database, qPCR, and sperm function tests. The sperm contains 1100 to 1700 intact transcripts, of which BCL2L11 and CAPZA3 were abundant and associated (p < 0.05) with spermatogenesis and post-embryonic organ morphogenesis. The upregulated genes in the acrosome integrity and functional membrane integrity groups had a close association with the fertility rate. The biological functions of these upregulated genes (p < 0.05) in the high-fertile bulls were associated with spermatogenesis (AFF4 and BRIP1), sperm motility (AK6 and ATP6V1G3), capacitation and zona binding (AGFG1), embryo development (TCF7 and AKIRIN2), and placental development (KRT19). The transcripts involved in pathways regulating embryonic development such as translation (EEF1B2 and MTIF3, p = 8.87E-05) and nonsense-mediated decay (RPL23 and RPL7A, p = 5.01E-27) were upregulated in high-fertile bulls. The identified transcripts may significantly impact oocyte function, embryogenesis, trophectoderm development, and pregnancy establishment. In addition, the study also reveals that the genes governing sperm functional membrane integrity and acrosome integrity have a prospective effect on male fertility.

Keywords: Bovine; Differentially expressed transcripts; Fertility regulation; Semen quality; Transcripts profiling.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Agarwal A, Mulgund A, Hamada A, Chyatte MR (2015) A unique view on male infertility around the globe. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 13(1):37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-015-0032-1 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Akakura S, Gelman IH (2012) Pivotal role of AKAP12 in the regulation of cellular adhesion dynamics: control of cytoskeletal architecture cell migration and mitogenic signaling. J Signal Transduct. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/529179 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Assou S, Haouzi D, Mahmoud K, Aouacheria A, Guillemin Y, Pantesco V, Reme T, Dechaud H, De Vos J, Hamamah S (2008) A non-invasive test for assessing embryo potential by gene expression profiles of human cumulus cells: a proof of concept study. Mol Hum Reprod 14(12):711–719. https://doi.org/10.1093/molehr/gan067 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Behm-Ansmant I, Gatfield D, Rehwinkel J, Hilgers V, Izaurralde E (2007) A conserved role for cytoplasmic poly (A)-binding protein 1 (PABPC1) in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. EMBO J 26(6):1591–1601. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.emboj.7601588 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Bissonnette N, Lévesque-Sergerie JP, Thibault C, Boissonneault G (2009) Spermatozoal transcriptome profiling for bull sperm motility: a potential tool to evaluate semen quality. Reproduction 138(1):65. https://doi.org/10.1530/REP-08-0503 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources