AI Article Synopsis
- Recent studies highlight the growing significance of small RNA molecules, particularly in the context of sperm maturation within the epididymis.
- Researchers have identified a range of microRNAs that are spatially and temporally regulated during this maturation process using microarray and small-RNA library analyses.
- The use of small interfering RNAs has proven effective in silencing specific genes in live models, helping to clarify the roles of proteins associated with sperm motility and capacitation in rats.
Article Abstract
Identification, detection, and use of small-ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules have been paid increasing attention in the past decades. Here we show studies of two interrelated lines of this research in a sperm maturation-related organ, the epididymis. First, by using microarray and small-RNA library screening systems, a series of spatially and temporally regulated known and novel small regulatory RNA molecules, referred to as microRNAs, has been identified and characterized. Second, small double-stranded RNAs, called small interfering RNAs, emerged as a powerful tool to knock down gene expression by a pathway known as RNA interference. It has been successfully used to silence epididymal gene expression in vivo to elucidate the function of several sperm motility- and capacitation-related proteins in the rat epididymis.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.2164/jandrol.111.013060 | DOI Listing |
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