Review
Reproductive Biology
Subhash Solanki, Vijay Kumar, Poonam Kashyap, Rakesh Kumar, Sachinandan De, Tirtha Kumar Datta
Summary: Bovine male fertility has a direct impact on the productivity of dairy herds. Recent studies have shown the importance of beta-defensins (BDs) in male fertility, which are broad-range antimicrobial peptides with roles in innate and adaptive immunity. BD polymorphisms have been linked to milk compositions, disease resistance, and antimicrobial activities. The specific glycosylated BD class-A (CA-BDs) have been found to be expressed in male reproductive organs and play a significant role in sperm maturation and transport. Two bovine BD genes, BBD126 and BBD129, have been identified as potential biomarkers for bovine male fertility. However, genomic characterization of most BD genes in livestock and nonmodel organisms is still incomplete.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Andrology
Yoo-Jin Park, Byeong-Mu Lee, Won-Ki Pang, Do-Yeal Ryu, Md Saidur Rahman, Myung-Geol Pang
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between sequential changes in protein expression during epididymal sperm maturation and sperm motility and fertility in bovine. The study found that irregular modifications of mitochondrial proteins during epididymal sperm maturation may lead to excessive ROS production and premature activation of spermatozoa, resulting in a decline in sperm motility and bull fertility.
WORLD JOURNAL OF MENS HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Andrology
Nilendu Paul, Thirumala Rao Talluri, Pradeep Nag, Arumugam Kumaresan
Summary: Epididymosomes play a crucial role in the maturation and fertilizing ability of sperm by transferring proteins, RNA, and lipids from the epididymis to sperm cells. Research on epididymosomes has gained increasing attention in recent years and has the potential to be utilized as a tool for male fertility assessment.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Aurelie Dewaele, Emilie Dujardin, Marjolaine Andre, Audrey Albina, Helene Jammes, Frank Giton, Eli Sellem, Genevieve Jolivet, Eric Pailhoux, Maelle Pannetier
Summary: This study investigates the role of estrogens in male reproductive system using a rabbit model. The findings suggest that testicular estrogens may be involved in sperm development and acquisition of motility.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jess E. Mulhall, Natalie A. Trigg, Ilana R. Bernstein, Amanda L. Anderson, Heather C. Murray, Petra Sipila, Tessa Lord, John E. Schjenken, Brett Nixon, David A. Skerrett-Byrne
Summary: The testes and vas deferens are separated by the epididymis, a tubule with a unique microenvironment that is crucial for sperm maturation. The epididymal epithelium creates this microenvironment through the release of extracellular vesicles and small non-coding RNAs. In this study, the authors used mass spectrometry to compare the protein profiles of an immortalized mouse epididymal epithelial cell line to native mouse epididymal epithelial cells. They found that many proteins identified in the cell line were also present in native cells, supporting the use of this cell line as an in vitro model for studying epididymal epithelial cell function.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fanwen Zeng, Mingming Wang, Ju Li, Chengde Li, Xueqing Pan, Li Meng, Li Li, Hengxi Wei, Shouquan Zhang
Summary: In this study, we found that porcine beta-defensin 129 (pBD129) is widely present in accessory sex glands and coats the surface of sperm. Inhibiting pBD129 on the sperm surface resulted in increased acrosome integrity, tyrosine phosphorylation levels, and Ca2+ influx, leading to a reduced in vitro fertilization cleavage rate. Furthermore, treatment with recombinant pBD129 restored sperm motility in semen contaminated with Escherichia coli.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Elisabetta Baldi, Meurig T. Gallagher, Stepan Krasnyak, Jackson Kirkman-Brown
Summary: The sixth edition of the World Health Organization manual explores extended examination methods that offer key diagnostics for investigating male reproductive system function. These methods go beyond basic semen analysis and can specifically guide the clinical characterization of fertile or infertile men. Multiparametric scoring for sperm morphological defects, sperm DNA fragmentation, and computer-assisted analysis of sperm or semen are among the most widely used and debated techniques.
FERTILITY AND STERILITY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Brett Nixon, Amanda L. Anderson, Elizabeth G. Bromfield, Jacinta H. Martin, Shenae L. Cafe, David A. Skerrett-Byrne, Matthew D. Dun, Andrew L. Eamens, Geoffry N. De Iuliis, Stephen D. Johnston
Summary: Research focused on the physiology of saltwater crocodile sperm, showing an increasing gradient of sperm motility as they transit the male reproductive tract, and that increasing intracellular cAMP levels significantly enhance sperm motility. This study paves the way for developing artificial reproductive technologies and opportunistic recovery, storage, and potential utilization of post-mortem spermatozoa from genetically valuable animals.
REPRODUCTION FERTILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jing Jin, Xiaofeng Li, Mei Ye, Feng Qiao, Hao Chen, Kin Lam Fok
Summary: This study reveals the important role of Defb19 in male fertility, as it regulates the migration of both Sertoli cells and germ cells in the testis.
CELL AND BIOSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
F. Barrachina, M. A. Battistone, J. Castillo, C. Mallofre, M. Jodar, S. Breton, R. Oliva
Summary: The study demonstrates that sperm acquire proteins from epididymosomes during post-testicular maturation, providing insights into the mechanisms of sperm maturation and potential therapeutic strategies for male infertility. The results highlight the novel role of epididymal clear cells in producing epididymosomes, contributing to a better understanding of male reproductive health.
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Andrology
Akanksha Singh, Debarshi Sarkar, Shio Kumar Singh
Summary: Treatment with fenugreek seed extract had adverse effects on male reproductive health and pregnancy outcome in mice, including degenerative changes in the testis, alterations in sperm parameters and fertility indices.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fanyi Qiu, Xiao Wang, Meiyang Zhou, Junjie Yu, Zhengpin Wang
Summary: This study shows that loss of DIS3 in the initial segment of the epididymis does not affect sperm maturation, motility, or male fertility.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Andrology
Nobuyuki Sakurai, Yoshitaka Fujihara, Kiyonori Kobayashi, Masahito Ikawa
Summary: This study reveals the important role of epididymis-enriched genes in sperm maturation and acquisition of fertilizing ability. Knockout of these genes leads to reduced fertility in male mice.
Article
Reproductive Biology
P. Taaffe, C. M. O'Meara, M. Stiavnicka, C. J. Byrne, B. Eivers, P. Lonergan, S. Fair
Summary: This study aimed to assess the effect of ejaculate collection frequency on semen output, sperm quality, and field fertility in young bulls. The results showed that collecting ejaculates more frequently significantly reduced the number of days required to obtain 1000 straws, increased semen quality in terms of lower superoxide production, and improved field fertility.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sudarshan Gadadhar, Gonzalo Alvarez Viar, Jan Niklas Hansen, An Gong, Aleksandr Kostarev, Come Ialy-Radio, Sophie Leboucher, Marjorie Whitfield, Ahmed Ziyyat, Aminata Toure, Luis Alvarez, Gaia Pigino, Carsten Janke
Summary: This study demonstrates the importance of tubulin glycylation for controlled flagellar beating, directional sperm swimming, and male fertility by utilizing a mouse model lacking this modification. The lack of glycylation led to abnormal dynein arm conformations in sperm axonemes, resulting in subfertility in male mice due to aberrant beat patterns of sperm flagella.
