mtDNA polymorphism and metabolic inhibition affect sperm performance in conplastic mice
In this study, we test the effect of mtDNA polymorphisms upon mouse sperm performance and bioenergetics by using five conplastic inbred strains that share the same nuclear background while differing in their mitochondrial genomes. We found that, while genetic polymorphisms across distinct mtDNA haplotypes are associated with modification in sperm progressive velocity, this effect is not related to ATP production. Furthermore, there is no association between the number of mtDNA polymorphisms and either (a) the magnitude of sperm performance decrease, or (b) performance response to specific inhibition of the main sperm metab...
Source: Reproduction - September 6, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Tourmente, M., Hirose, M., Ibrahim, S., Dowling, D. K., Tompkins, D. M., Roldan, E. R. S., Gemmell, N. J. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Obesity, a serious etiologic factor for male subfertility in modern society
Obesity, defined as excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue, is a metabolic disorder resulting from behavioral, environmental and heritable causes. Obesity increases the risks of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, osteoarthritis and cancer. Meanwhile, the negative impact of obesity on male reproduction is gradually recognized. According to the clinical investigations and animal experiments, obesity is correlated with reductions in sperm concentration and motility, increase in sperm DNA damage and changes in reproductive hormones. Several mechanisms can elucidate the e...
Source: Reproduction - September 6, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Liu, Y., Ding, Z. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Steroidogenesis in Leydig cells: effects of aging and environmental factors
Serum testosterone (TS) levels decrease with aging in both humans and rodents. Using the rat as a model system, it was found that age-related reductions in serum TS were not due to loss of Leydig cells, but rather to the reduced ability of the Leydig cells to produce TS in response to luteinizing hormone (LH). Detailed analyses of the steroidogenic pathway have suggested that two defects along the pathway, LH-stimulated cAMP production and cholesterol transport to and into the mitochondria, are of particular importance in age-related reductions in TS production. Although the mechanisms involved in these defects are far fro...
Source: Reproduction - September 6, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Wang, Y., Chen, F., Ye, L., Zirkin, B., Chen, H. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Male genital tract immune response against Chlamydia trachomatis infection
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported agent of sexually transmitted bacterial infections worldwide. This pathogen frequently leads to persistent, long-term, subclinical infections, which in turn may cause severe pathology in susceptible hosts. This is in part due to the strategies that Chlamydia trachomatis uses to survive within epithelial cells and to evade the host immune response, such as subverting intracellular trafficking, interfering signaling pathways and preventing apoptosis. Innate immune receptors such as toll-like receptors expressed on epithelial and immune cells in the genital tract mediate the...
Source: Reproduction - September 6, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Mackern-Oberti, J. P., Motrich, R. D., Damiani, M. T., Saka, H. A., Quintero, C. A., Sanchez, L. R., Moreno-Sosa, T., Olivera, C., Cuffini, C., Rivero, V. E. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Implications of microRNA dysregulation in the development of prostate cancer
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding small RNAs that target mRNA to reduce protein expression. They play fundamental roles in several diseases, including prostate cancer (PCa). A single miRNA can target hundreds of mRNAs and coordinately regulate them, which implicates them in nearly every biological pathway. Hence, miRNAs modulate proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, invasion and metastasis, most of them constituting crucial hallmarks of cancer. Due to these properties, miRNAs emerged as promising tools for diagnostic, prognosis and management of cancer patients. Moreover, they come out as potential tar...
Source: Reproduction - September 6, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Massillo, C., Dalton, G. N., Farre, P. L., De Luca, P., De Siervi, A. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Effect of urokinase type plasminogen activator on in vitro bovine oocyte maturation
This study examines the impacts of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) on the in vitro maturation (IVM) of bovine oocytes. Cumulus–oocyte complexes in IVM medium were treated with uPA, amiloride (an uPA inhibitor), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or left untreated (control group). After 24 h of IVM, oocytes were recovered for testing or were in vitro fertilized and cultured to the blastocyst stage. The factors examined in all groups were: (i) oocyte nuclear maturation (Hoëscht staining); (ii) oocyte cytoplasmic maturation (cortical granules, CGs, distribution assessed by LCA-FITC); (iii) oocyte and cumulus ...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Mariela, R.-O., Veronica, M., Maria Jesus, S.-C., Paula, B.-B., Dimitrios, R., Alfonso, G.-A. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Decreased PGF may contribute to trophoblast dysfunction in fetal growth restriction
In conclusion, our data suggested that the PGF expression was dysregulated, and disrupted PGF/FLT1 signaling in trophoblast might contribute to placenta dysfunction in FGR. Thus, our results support the significant role of PGF in the pathogenesis of FGR. (Source: Reproduction)
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Wu, W.-B., Xu, Y.-Y., Cheng, W.-W., Yuan, B., Zhao, J.-R., Wang, Y.-L., Zhang, H.-J. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Defective sperm head decondensation undermines the success of ICSI in the bovine
The efficiency of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in the bovine is low compared to other species. It is unknown whether defective oocyte activation and/or sperm head decondensation limit the success of this technique in this species. To elucidate where the main obstacle lies, we used homologous and heterologous ICSI and parthenogenetic activation procedures. We also evaluated whether in vitro maturation negatively impacted the early stages of activation after ICSI. Here we showed that injected bovine sperm are resistant to nuclear decondensation by bovine oocytes and this is only partly overcome by exogenous activa...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Aguila, L., Felmer, R., Arias, M. E., Navarrete, F., Martin-Hidalgo, D., Lee, H. C., Visconti, P., Fissore, R. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Induction of experimental autoimmune orchitis in mice: responses to elevated circulating levels of the activin-binding protein, follistatin
Experimental autoimmune orchitis (EAO) is a rodent model of chronic testicular inflammation that mimics the pathology observed in some types of human infertility. In a previous study, testicular expression of the inflammatory/immunoregulatory cytokine, activin A, was elevated in adult mice during the onset of EAO, indicating a potential role in the regulation of the disease. Consequently, we examined the development of EAO in mice with elevated levels of follistatin, an endogenous activin antagonist, as a potential therapeutic approach to testicular inflammation. Prior to EAO induction, mice received a single intramuscular...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Nicolas, N., Muir, J. A., Hayward, S., Chen, J. L., Stanton, P. G., Gregorevic, P., de Kretser, D. M., Loveland, K. L., Bhushan, S., Meinhardt, A., Fijak, M., Hedger, M. P. Tags: Research Source Type: research
KNDy neurone activation prior to the LH surge of the ewe is disrupted by LPS
In the ewe, steroid hormones act on the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) to initiate the GnRH/LH surge. Within the ARC, steroid signal transduction may be mediated by estrogen receptive dopamine-, β-endorphin- or neuropeptide Y (NPY)-expressing cells, as well as those co-localising kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB) and dynorphin (termed KNDy). We investigated the time during the follicular phase when these cells become activated (i.e., co-localise c-Fos) relative to the timing of the LH surge onset and may therefore be involved in the surge generating mechanism. Furthermore, we aimed to elucidate whether these activati...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Fergani, C., Routly, J. E., Jones, D. N., Pickavance, L. C., Smith, R. F., Dobson, H. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Comparative microRNAome analysis of the testis and ovary of the Chinese giant salamander
In this study, two small RNA libraries of CGS ovary and testis were constructed using deep sequencing technology. A bioinformatics pipeline was developed to distinguish miRNA sequences from other classes of small RNAs represented in the sequencing data. We found that many miRNAs and other small RNAs such as piRNA and tsRNA were abundant in CGS tissue. A total of 757 and 756 unique miRNAs were annotated as miRNA candidates in the ovary and testis respectively. We identified 145 miRNAs in CGS ovary and 155 miRNAs in CGS testis that were homologous to those in Xenopus laevis ovary and testis respectively. Forty-five miRNAs we...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Chen, R., Du, J., Ma, L., Wang, L.-q., Xie, S.-s., Yang, C.-m., Lan, X.-y., Pan, C.-y., Dong, W.-z. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Oviduct extracellular vesicles protein content and their role during oviduct-embryo cross-talk
Successful pregnancy requires an appropriate communication between the mother and the embryo. Recently, exosomes and microvesicles, both membrane-bound extracellular vesicles (EVs) present in the oviduct fluid have been proposed as key modulators of this unique cross-talk. However, little is known about their content and their role during oviduct-embryo dialog. Given the known differences in secretions by in vivo and in vitro oviduct epithelial cells (OEC), we aimed at deciphering the oviduct EVs protein content from both sources. Moreover, we analyzed their functional effect on embryo development. Our study demonstrated f...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Alminana, C., Corbin, E., Tsikis, G., Alcantara-Neto, A. S., Labas, V., Reynaud, K., Galio, L., Uzbekov, R., Garanina, A. S., Druart, X., Mermillod, P. Tags: Research Source Type: research
NLRP2 and FAF1 deficiency blocks early embryogenesis in the mouse
Nlrp2 is a maternal effect gene specifically expressed by mouse ovaries; deletion of this gene from zygotes is known to result in early embryonic arrest. In the present study, we identified FAF1 protein as a specific binding partner of the NLRP2 protein in both mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos. In addition to early embryos, both Faf1 mRNA and protein were detected in multiple tissues. NLRP2 and FAF1 proteins were co-localized to both the cytoplasm and nucleus during the development of oocytes and preimplantation embryos. Co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to confirm the specific interaction between NLRP2 and ...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Peng, H., Liu, H., Liu, F., Gao, Y., Chen, J., Huo, J., Han, J., Xiao, T., Zhang, W. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Active paraoxonase 1 is synthesised throughout the internal boar genital organs
The paraoxonase type 1 (PON1) is an enzyme with antioxidant properties recently identified in the seminal plasma (SP) of several species, including the porcine. The aims of the present study were to (1) describe the immunohistochemical localisation of PON1 in the genital organs of fertile boars and (2) evaluate the relationship among PON1 activity and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration in fluids of the boar genital organs. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that PON1 was present in testis (specifically in Leydig cells, blood vessels, spermatogonia and elongated spermatids), epididymis (specif...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Barranco, I., Perez-Patino, C., Tvarijonaviciute, A., Parrilla, I., Vicente-Carrillo, A., Alvarez-Rodriguez, M., Ceron, J. J., Martinez, E. A., Rodriguez-Martinez, H., Roca, J. Tags: Research Source Type: research
MicroRNA-150 regulates steroidogenesis of mouse testicular Leydig cells by targeting STAR
Leydig cells are essential for male reproductive development throughout life. Production of androgens as well as intermediate steroids is tightly regulated. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) are suggested to play important roles in spermatogenesis, little is currently known regarding the regulation of steroidogenesis by miRNAs in Leydig cells. Here, we found that miR-150 was predominantly expressed in Leydig cells within mouse testis. Therefore, we determined steroidogenesis of the Leydig cells in which miR-150 was knocked down or overexpressed using miR-150 antagomir and agomir, respectively. Compared with negative control grou...
Source: Reproduction - September 5, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Geng, X.-J., Zhao, D.-M., Mao, G.-H., Tan, L. Tags: Research Source Type: research
