Sperm telomere length as a parameter of sperm quality in normozoospermic men

Rocca, Maria Santa; Speltra, Elena; Menegazzo, Massimo; Garolla, Andrea; Foresta, Carlo; Ferlin, Alberto

doi:10.1093/humrep/dew061

Cited by 81 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The positive correlations between the STL and the total sperm count and progressive motility as well as the negative correlations between the STL and the DFI and ROS content are consistent with a previous study that indicated that the STL is associated with most of the important standard semen parameters and sperm quality151743. And our recent study found that the semen samples of overweight/obese males had a shorter STL and increased DNA fragmentation and ROS levels44.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Moreover, our previous study demonstrated a positive correlation between the telomere length and embryo quality in the early stages of development15, and another study reported that spermatozoa telomeres determine the telomere length of early embryos and offspring16. A recent report also showed that the STL could be used as a new parameter in diagnosing infertility in males17. Therefore, the selection of functional sperm with less DNA damage and longer telomeres should be prerequisites for achieving optimal outcomes for ART.…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

“…However, some studies have found that the mean DNA fragmentation in samples processed by DGC was higher than in samples collected with the SU method3334. Telomeres are fundamental for genome integrity17. Santiso et al .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Semen preparation methods and sperm telomere length: density gradient centrifugation versus the swim up procedure

Zhao

Yang

Sheng

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Previous studies have shown that both density gradient centrifugation (DGC) and swim up (SU) procedures can select spermatozoa with longer telomeres for assisted reproduction techniques (ART). However, it is unknown which approach is more effective. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of these two methods on sperm telomere length (STL). A total of 150 normozoospermic subjects were recruited. STL, DNA fragmentation index (DFI), reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and progressive motility of semen samples were detected before and after the procedures of DGC and SU. When compared to raw semen, the average length of sperm telomeres was significantly longer after the two sperm preparation methods. However, no significant difference was found between the DGC and SU procedures. We also found that semen prepared by the two methods had lower DNA fragmentation, ROS content and sperm progressive motility. However, no significant difference was found in those parameters between the two procedures. This is the first study that compares the effects of the DGC and SU procedures on STL, and the results show that both methods can recover a sperm population with longer STL and better DNA integrity for ART.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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confidence: 92%

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Semen preparation methods and sperm telomere length: density gradient centrifugation versus the swim up procedure

Zhao

Yang

Sheng

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…Any age-specific process that affects sperm and egg TL will influence the pool from which gamete telomeres can be chosen and will consequently affect offspring TL-an age effect on chick TL. Age-related telomere shortening (Hall et al, 2004;Haussmann & Marchetto, 2010;Haussmann et al, 2003), telomerase activity in the germ line of adult birds (Haussmann, Winkler, Huntington, Nisbet, & Vleck, 2004;Haussmann et al, 2007), a reduction in sperm quality with age (Ferlin et al, 2013;Rocca et al, 2016;Waeleghem, Clercq, Vermeulen, Schoonjans, & Comhaire, 1996), TL-based selective stem cell turnover (Kimura et al, 2008), and stochastic processes during sperm maturation that increase variability in sperm TL as the individual ages (De Meyer & Eisenberg, 2015) could all increase the variability of TL in the gametes from which the zygote is formed (De Meyer & Eisenberg, 2015). Smallsample random sampling from this distribution could produce many possible patterns of parental age effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The environmental and genetic determinants of chick telomere length in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

Belmaker

Hallinger

Glynn

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Conditions during early life can have dramatic effects on adult characteristics and fitness. However, we still know little about the mechanisms that mediate these relationships. Telomere shortening is one possibility. Telomeres are long sequences of DNA that protect the ends of chromosomes. They shorten naturally throughout an individual's life, and individuals with short telomeres tend to have poorer health and reduced survival. Given this connection between telomere length (TL) and fitness, natural selection should favor individuals that are able to retain longer telomeres for a greater portion of their lives. However, the ability of natural selection to act on TL depends on the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence TL. In this study, we experimentally enlarged broods of Tree Swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor ) to test the effects of demanding early‐life conditions on TL, while simultaneously cross‐fostering chicks to estimate heritable genetic influences on TL. In addition, we estimated the effects of parental age and chick sex on chick TL. We found that TL is highly heritable in Tree Swallow chicks, and that the maternal genetic basis for TL is stronger than is the paternal genetic basis. In contrast, the experimental manipulation of brood size had only a weak effect on chick TL, suggesting that the role of environmental factors in influencing TL early in life is limited. There was no effect of chick sex or parental age on chick TL. While these results are consistent with those reported in some studies, they are in conflict with others. These disparate conclusions might be attributable to the inherent complexity of telomere dynamics playing out differently in different populations or to study‐specific variation in the age at which subjects were measured.

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“…Furthermore, shorter telomeres have been observed in infertile than fertile males [27] . Currently, a survey has demonstrated that SLT is connected with the motility and vitality of sperm, as well as sperm DNA fragmentation [28] . Another investigation on adult male Brown Norway rats has indicated an association between chemotherapy treatment and the reduction of the telomere length in spermatocytes [29] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Association Study between Longitudinal Changes of Leukocyte Telomere and the Risk of Azoospermia in a Population of Iranian Infertile Men

Heidary

Pouresmaeili

Mirfakhraie

et al. 2018

IBJ

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Background: Telomeres are evolutionary, specialized terminal structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes containing TTAGGG repeats in human. Several human diseases have been known to be associated with dramatic changes in telomere length. The aim of the present study was to assess the correlation between the relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and infertility in a group of Iranian azoospermic males. Methods: In this casecontrol pilot study, relative telomere length (RTL) of peripheral blood leukocytes from a total of 30 idiopathic nonobstructive azoospermic males and 30 healthy fertile males was evaluated using real-time PCR. RTL was calculated as T (telomere)/S (single copy gene) ratio and compared between infertile and fertile groups. Results: Patients with azoospermia showed significantly shorter RTL than fertile males (0.54 vs. 0.84, p < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was estimated to be 99.8%, suggesting LTL as a potential marker for the diagnosis of azoospermia. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated a probable association between telomere shortening and azoospermia in a population of Iranian infertile men affected by idiopathic azoospermia.

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Sperm telomere length as a parameter of sperm quality in normozoospermic men

Abstract: No external funding was either sought or obtained for this study. There are no conflicts of interest to be declared.

Cited by 81 publications

References 44 publications

Semen preparation methods and sperm telomere length: density gradient centrifugation versus the swim up procedure

Semen preparation methods and sperm telomere length: density gradient centrifugation versus the swim up procedure

The environmental and genetic determinants of chick telomere length in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

An Association Study between Longitudinal Changes of Leukocyte Telomere and the Risk of Azoospermia in a Population of Iranian Infertile Men

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