Although recent studies have shed insights on some of the potential causes of male infertility, new underlining molecular mechanisms still remain to be elucidated. Makorin-2 (Mkrn2) is an evolutionarily conserved gene whose biological functions are not fully known. We developed an Mrkn2 knockout mouse model to study the role of this gene, and found that deletion of Mkrn2 in mice led to male infertility. Mkrn2 knockout mice produced abnormal sperms characterized by low number, poor motility, and aberrant morphology. Disruption of Mkrn2 also caused failure of sperm release (spermiation failure) and misarrangement of ectoplasmic specialization (ES) in testes, thus impairing spermiogenesis and spermiation. To understand the molecular mechanism, we found that expression of Odf2, a vital protein in spermatogenesis, was significantly decreased. In addition, we found that expression levels of Odf2 were decreased in Mkrn2 knockout mice. We also found that MKRN2 was prominently expressed in the sperm of normal men, but was significantly reduced in infertile men. This result indicates that our finding is clinically relevant. The results of our study provided insights into a new mechanism of male infertility caused by the MKRN2 downregulation.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5180214PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep39318DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

male infertility
12
spermiogenesis spermiation
8
mkrn2 knockout
8
knockout mice
8
mkrn2
7
deficiency mkrn2
4
mkrn2 abnormal
4
abnormal spermiogenesis
4
spermiation impairs
4
male
4

Similar Publications

1700030J22RIK is essential for sperm flagellar function and male fertility in mice.

J Genet Genomics

December 2024

Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China; School of Basic Medical Science, Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750004, China. Electronic address:

Spermiogenesis is an indispensable process occurring during the later stages of spermatogenesis. Despite multiple proteins being associated with spermiogenesis, the molecular mechanisms that control spermiogenesis remain poorly characterized. In this study, we show that 1700030J22RIK is exclusively expressed in the testis of mice and investigate its roles in spermiogenesis using genetic and proteomic approaches.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

OsPAD1, encoding a non-specific lipid transfer protein, is required for rice pollen aperture formation.

Plant Mol Biol

December 2024

State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Zhongshan Biological Breeding laboratoryr, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.

Article Synopsis
  • - Plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are crucial for moving lipids between membranes, impacting pollen wall development, including the pollen aperture structure.
  • - The study focuses on a rice mutant called pollen aperture defect 1 (Ospad1), which shows male sterility due to abnormal pollen grain development linked to a non-specific LTP that fails to properly bind lipids.
  • - Researchers found that OsPAD1 interacts with a gene involved in pollen development, providing new insights into how LTPs function in forming pollen apertures, which could have broader implications for other cereal crops.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Treating burn lesions has always been challenging because any product should be cheap, accessible, and have anti-bacterial commodities and tissue regeneration properties. The green synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoparticles (GS-MgONPs) can create an optimal prospect that is safe with low toxicity in biological tissue and better safety for application while including the antibacterial effect. This recent study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of burn wound treatment using GS-MgONPs in rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Impact of COVID-19 infection on cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression and mast cell count in testicular tissue of azoospermic men.

Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand)

December 2024

Epidemiology, Liver and Digestive Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.

Article Synopsis
  • * This research focused on 41 men undergoing testicular sperm extraction, comparing those infected with COVID-19 to non-infected individuals, specifically examining inflammatory proteins like mast cells and COX-2 in testicular tissue.
  • * Results revealed that COVID-19-infected men had higher levels of COX-2 expression and more mast cells, indicating heightened inflammation in their testicular tissue, which may negatively affect male fertility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinical effectiveness of unilateral single-armed vasoepididymostomy in obstructive azoospermia: a single-center experience.

BMC Urol

December 2024

Department of Andrology, the Center for Men's Health, Shanghai General Hospital, Urologic Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China.

Background: Vasoepididymostomy (VE) is an important surgical treatment to achieve natural conception for patients with obstructive azoospermia (OA), and only unilateral VE can be performed under certain conditions, such as OA patients with congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens (CUAVD) and some acquired OA. There is a lack of relevant reports assessing the clinical outcomes of unilateral VE in OA patients with different causes. This study is aimed to describe the clinical features and evaluate treatments and outcomes of unilateral single-armed VE in OA patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!