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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yoo-jin Park

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Guest Editor

Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: male fertility; sperm cell biology; proteomics; biomarkers; endocrine disruptors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditionally, several quantitative parameters, such as sperm count, viability, and sperm motility, have been used to provide initial information in the clinical field for treatment of infertile men. However, though these parameters can be used as preliminary information for male fertility, they cannot fully define idiopathic human male infertility, which has normal semen parameters. Recently, comparative and comprehensive omic studies, especially transcriptomics and proteomics, have been conducted to identify fertility-related, capacitation-related, and motility-related biomarkers in varied mammalian species to compensate for the weakness of traditional analyses. These studies have provided numerous fertility-related potential biomarkers for use in male fertility determination. Although these studies may provide novel and useful information related to male fertility, the data provided may be excessive. Therefore, validation of the ability of these markers for the prediction of male fertility is required. Moreover, establishment of the new signaling pathways using previous omic data associated with male fertility may provide a better understanding of how the overall mechanisms of these markers work in harmony to maintain male fertility. In this Research Topic, we welcome research papers related to human male fertility.

Dr. Yoo-jin Park
Guest Editor

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Keywords

spermatozoa
male fertility
omic study
signaling pathways
biomarkers

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2460 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Expression of TXNRD1, HSPA4L and ATP1B1 Genes Associated with the Freezability of Boar Sperm

by Anna Mańkowska, Przemysław Gilun, Łukasz Zasiadczyk, Przemysław Sobiech and Leyland Fraser

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(16), 9320; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23169320 - 18 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2514

Abstract

Cryopreservation is associated with increased oxidative stress, which is responsible for sperm damage. We analyzed the effect of cryopreservation on mRNA and protein expression of thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1), heat shock protein family A (HSP 70) member 4 like (HSPA4L) and sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase subunit beta-1 (ATP1B1) genes in boar sperm with different freezability. Boars were classified as having good and poor semen freezability (GSF and PSF, respectively), according to the assessment of post-thaw sperm motility. Total RNA was isolated from fresh pre-freeze (PF) and frozen-thawed (FT) sperm from five boars of the GSF and PSF groups, respectively. Quantification of TXNRD1, HSPA4L and ATP1B1 gene expression was performed by RT-qPCR analysis. Proteins extracted from sperm were subjected to Western blotting and SDS-PAGE analyses. Poor freezability ejaculates were characterized by significantly higher relative mRNA expression levels of TXNRD1 and HSPA4L in FT sperm compared with the fresh PF sperm. Furthermore, the relative mRNA expression level of ATP1B1 was significantly higher in the fresh PF sperm of the GSF group. Western blotting analysis revealed significantly higher relative expression of TXNRD1 protein in the fresh PF sperm of the GSF group, while HSPA4L protein expression was markedly increased in FT sperm of the PSF group. Electrophoretic and densitometric analyses revealed a higher number of proteins in the fresh PF and FT sperm of the PSF and GSF groups, respectively. The results of this study indicate that ATP1B1 mRNA expression in the fresh PF sperm is a promising cryotolerance marker, while the variations of TXNRD1 and HSPA4L protein expression in the fresh PF or FT sperm provide useful information that may help to elucidate their biological significance in cryo-damage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertility-Related Comprehensive Signaling Events in Spermatozoa)

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18 pages, 2994 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of 2-Cys Peroxiredoxins Inhibition on Redox Modifications of Bull Sperm Proteins

by Agnieszka Mostek-Majewska, Anna Janta, Anna Majewska and Andrzej Ciereszko

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(23), 12888; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222312888 - 28 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1968

Abstract

Sperm peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) are moonlighting proteins which, in addition to their antioxidant activity, also act as redox signal transducers through PRDX-induced oxidative post-translational modifications of proteins (oxPTMs). Despite extensive knowledge on the antioxidant activity of PRDXs, the mechanisms related to PRDX-mediated oxPTMs are poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of bull sperm 2-Cys PRDX inhibition by Conoidin A on changes in oxPTM levels under control and oxidative stress conditions. The results showed that a group of sperm mitochondrial (LDHAL6B, CS, ACO2, SDHA, ACAPM) and actin cytoskeleton proteins (CAPZB, ALDOA, CCIN) is oxidized due to the action of 2-Cys PRDXs under control conditions. In turn, under oxidative stress conditions, 2-Cys PRDX activity seems to be focused on antioxidant function protecting glycolytic, TCA pathway, and respiratory chain enzymes; chaperones; and sperm axonemal tubulins from oxidative damage. Interestingly, the inhibition of PRDX resulted in oxidation of a group of rate-limiting glycolytic proteins, which is known to trigger the switching of glucose metabolism from glycolysis to pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). The obtained results are expected to broaden the knowledge of the potential role of bull sperm 2-Cys in both redox signal transmission and antioxidant activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertility-Related Comprehensive Signaling Events in Spermatozoa)

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