Alteration in autophagy gene expression profile correlates with low sperm quality

Guo, Yinsheng; Ma, Yue; Zhang, Jin; Jiang, Shuai; Yuan, Guanxiang; Cheng, Jinquan; Lan, Tao; Hao, Jingwen

doi:10.1016/j.repbio.2021.100546

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In these reports, we showed that autophagy, mitophagy, and autophagic-like molecular mechanisms are activated ex vivo and are involved in the regulation of critical processes of sperm function, such as motility and viability [ 23 ], and they exert a protective role in sperm during cryopreservation and other biotechnological procedures [ 24 , 25 , 30 ]. These seminal reports were confirmed and extended by posterior studies in other laboratories [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Therefore, today, it seems clear that autophagy is not only essential for sperm development during spermatogenesis, but it also might play critical roles ex vivo in adult, ejaculated spermatozoa once the spermatogenesis and the epidydimal maturation has been completed (reviewed in [ 10 ]).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

The Autophagy Marker LC3 Is Processed during the Sperm Capacitation and the Acrosome Reaction and Translocates to the Acrosome Where It Colocalizes with the Acrosomal Membranes in Horse Spermatozoa

Aparicio

Rojo-Domínguez

Castillejo-Rufo

et al. 2023

IJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite its importance in somatic cells and during spermatogenesis, little is known about the role that autophagy may play in ejaculated spermatozoa. Our aim was to investigate whether the molecular components of autophagy, such as microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), are activated in stallion spermatozoa during the capacitation and acrosome reaction and if this activation could modulate these biological processes. To analyze the autophagy turnover, LC3I and LC3II proteins were assessed by western blotting, and the ratio between both proteins (LC3II/LC3I) was calculated. In somatic cells, this ratio indicates that autophagy has been activated and similar LC3 processing has been described in mammalian spermatozoa. The subcellular localization of autophagy-related proteins was assessed by immunofluorescence with specific antibodies that recognized Atg16, Beclin-1, and LC3. The colocalization of acrosomal membranes (PNA) and LC3 was studied by confocal microcopy, and the acrosome reacted cells were quantified by flow cytometry. The incubation of stallion sperm in capacitating conditions (BWW; 3 h) significantly increased LC3 processing. This increment was three to four times higher after the induction of the acrosome reaction in these cells. LC3 was mainly expressed in the head in mature ejaculated sperm showing a clear redistribution from the post-acrosomal region to the acrosome upon the incubation of sperm in capacitating conditions (BWW, 3 h). After the induction of the acrosome reaction, LC3 colocalized with the acrosome or the apical plasmalemma membranes in the head of the stallion spermatozoa. The inhibition or activation of autophagy-related pathways in the presence of autophagy activators (STF-62247) or inhibitors (E-64d, chloroquine) significantly increased LC3 processing and increased the percent of acrosome reacted cells, whereas 3-methyladenine almost completely inhibited LC3 processing and the acrosome reaction. In conclusion, we found that sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction could be regulated by autophagy components in sperm cells ex vivo by processes that might be independent of the intraluminal pH of the acrosome and dependent of LC3 lipidation. It can be speculated that, in stallion sperm, a form of noncanonical autophagy utilizes some components of autophagy machinery to facilitate the acrosome reaction.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

The Autophagy Marker LC3 Is Processed during the Sperm Capacitation and the Acrosome Reaction and Translocates to the Acrosome Where It Colocalizes with the Acrosomal Membranes in Horse Spermatozoa

Aparicio

Rojo-Domínguez

Castillejo-Rufo

et al. 2023

IJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Sperm quality in mammals is regulated by many factors, and the expression of spermatogenic cells in the testes plays a key role in sperm quality ( Gunawan et al, 2011 ; Guo et al, 2021 ). Chronic drinking-induced intestinal dysbiosis affects sperm quality, which manifests as differential expression of testicular genes at the molecular level.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic alcohol-induced dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and gut metabolites impairs sperm quality in mice

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Studies have indicated that the ethanol exposure impairs the gut microbiota, At the same time, high levels of alcohol exposure damage sperm in mice. However, whether the gut microbiota is involved in mediating the effects of alcohol on sperm quality remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the effect of chronic alcohol consumption on intestinal microbiota in mice and analyze the potential pathophysiological effect of altered intestinal microbiota on sperm quality. We established a mouse model of chronic alcohol consumption by allowing male C57 mice to freely ingest 10% ethanol for 10 weeks, and collected the fecal microbiota of the male mice in the chronic drinking group (alcohol) and the control group (control) and transplanted the specimens into the transplant groups (the alcohol-fecal microbiota transplantation [FMT] group and the control-FMT group). Sperm quality was significantly decreased in the alcohol-FMT group compared with the control-FMT group. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that the abundance of 11 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was altered in the alcohol-FMT group. Nontargeted metabolomics identified 105 differentially altered metabolites, which were mainly annotated to amino acids, lipids, glycerophosphoethanolamine, organic oxygenic compounds, organic acids and their derivatives, steroids, and flavonoids. In particular, the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, which is the key to spermatogenesis, was significantly enriched in the alcohol-FMT group. Moreover, compared with the control-FMT group, the alcohol-FMT group presented significantly higher serum endotoxin and inflammatory cytokine levels, with more pronounced T cell and macrophage infiltration in the intestinal lamina propria and elevated levels of testicular inflammatory cytokines. In addition, RNA sequencing showed significant differences in the expression of testis-related genes between the alcohol-FMT group and the control-FMT group. In particular, the expression of genes involved in gamete meiosis, testicular mitochondrial function, and the cell division cycle was significantly reduced in alcohol-FMT mice. In conclusion, these findings indicated that intestinal dysbiosis induced by chronic alcohol consumption may be an important factor contributing to impaired sperm quality. Chronic alcohol consumption induces intestinal dysbiosis, which then leads to metabolic disorders, elevated serum endotoxin and inflammatory cytokine levels, testicular inflammation, abnormal expression of related genes, and ultimately, impaired sperm quality. These findings are potentially useful for the treatment of male infertility.

show abstract

“…Suitably, autophagy is a master of degradation and recycling, especially in the disposal of residual cell bodies and structural reconstruction [ 138 ]. There are a range of results that provide us with clues to the association among the downregulated expression of Atgs and low spermatozoa quality [ 139 ]. During spermatozoa differentiation, the expression of autophagy-related proteins, such as LC3 and Atg7, was significantly higher in elongated spermatozoa [ 140 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autophagy: A Double-Edged Sword in Male Reproduction

Yan

Zhang

Wang

et al. 2022

IJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved cell reprogramming mechanism, exists in all eukaryotic organisms. It is a fundamental and vital degradation/recycling pathway that removes undesirable components, such as cytoplasmic organelles, misfolded proteins, viruses, and intracellular bacteria, to provide energy and essential materials for organisms. The success of male reproduction depends on healthy testes, which are mainly composed of seminiferous tubules and mesenchyme. Seminiferous tubules are composed of Sertoli cells (SCs) and various germ cells, and the main functional part of mesenchyme are Leydig cells (LCs). In recent years, a large amount of evidence has confirmed that autophagy is active in many cellular events associated with the testes. Autophagy is not only important for testicular spermatogenesis, but is also an essential regulatory mechanism for the ectoplasmic specialization (ES) integrity of SCs, as well as for the normal function of the blood–testes barrier (BTB). At the same time, it is active in LCs and is crucial for steroid production and for maintaining testosterone levels. In this review, we expanded upon the narration regarding the composition of the testes; summarized the regulation and molecular mechanism of autophagy in SCs, germ cells, and LCs; and concluded the roles of autophagy in the process of spermatogenesis and testicular endocrinology. Through integrating the latest summaries and advances, we discuss how the role of autophagy is a double-edged sword in the testes and may provide insight for future studies and explorations on autophagy in male reproduction.

show abstract

Alteration in autophagy gene expression profile correlates with low sperm quality

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

The Autophagy Marker LC3 Is Processed during the Sperm Capacitation and the Acrosome Reaction and Translocates to the Acrosome Where It Colocalizes with the Acrosomal Membranes in Horse Spermatozoa

The Autophagy Marker LC3 Is Processed during the Sperm Capacitation and the Acrosome Reaction and Translocates to the Acrosome Where It Colocalizes with the Acrosomal Membranes in Horse Spermatozoa

Chronic alcohol-induced dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and gut metabolites impairs sperm quality in mice

Autophagy: A Double-Edged Sword in Male Reproduction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About