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Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0
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Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 8349

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elisabetta Baldi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Interests: sperm biology; semen analysis; sperm DNA fragmentation; sperm physiology; sperm acrosome reaction; male infertility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lara Tamburrino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Interests: reproductive biology; sperm biology; sperm DNA fragmentation; sperm ion channels, semen analysis; prostate cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sara Marchiani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Interests: reproductive biology; reproductive endocrinology; sperm cryopreservation; semen analysis; sperm DNA fragmentation; prostate cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For this Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, we invite you to contribute either an original research article or a review article on the topic “Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa”. Male infertility affects 7% of the global population. Semen analysis is currently considered a key tool in routine assessment; however, it is poorly predictive of fertility status and does not evaluate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, at present, there are only a few pharmacological treatments available and clinicians must rely on assisted reproduction to treat male infertility. For such reasons, it is mandatory for the scientific community to identify new sperm biomarkers/pharmacological targets through a deep characterization of the molecular pathways involved in sperm functions (spermatogenesis, epididymal maturation, capacitation, hyperactivation, etc.) that are necessary for reaching and fertilizing the oocyte, as well as sperm dysfunctions (DNA fragmentation, oxidative stress, chromatin alterations, etc.) that compromise such processes. Thanks to the currently available high-throughput technologies coupled with bioinformatic analysis, genetic and epigenetic sperm modifications, proteins and their post-translational modifications, and the metabolism and its products, the signaling pathways governing sperm functions can be deeply investigated. In addition, studying the relationship between spermatozoa and the genital tract microenvironment and its possible role in couple infertility also appears promising. Articles aimed at a multidisciplinary investigation of the different molecular aspects of sperm biology, through both in vivo and in vitro studies, are welcome.

Dr. Elisabetta Baldi
Dr. Lara Tamburrino
Dr. Sara Marchiani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sperm functions
  • sperm capacitation
  • sperm chemotaxis
  • signaling pathways
  • gene expression
  • epigenetic
  • proteomic
  • post-translational modification
  • metabolomic
  • microbiota

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 1273 KiB  
Article
Application of Flow Cytometry Using Advanced Chromatin Analyses for Assessing Changes in Sperm Structure and DNA Integrity in a Porcine Model
by Estíbaliz Lacalle, Estela Fernández-Alegre, Belén Gómez-Giménez, Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez, Beatriz Martín-Fernández, Cristina Soriano-Úbeda and Felipe Martínez-Pastor
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(4), 1953; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25041953 - 06 Feb 2024
Viewed by 660
Abstract
Chromatin status is critical for sperm fertility and reflects spermatogenic success. We tested a multivariate approach for studying pig sperm chromatin structure to capture its complexity with a set of quick and simple techniques, going beyond the usual assessment of DNA damage. Sperm [...] Read more.
Chromatin status is critical for sperm fertility and reflects spermatogenic success. We tested a multivariate approach for studying pig sperm chromatin structure to capture its complexity with a set of quick and simple techniques, going beyond the usual assessment of DNA damage. Sperm doses from 36 boars (3 ejaculates/boar) were stored at 17 °C and analyzed on days 0 and 11. Analyses were: CASA (motility) and flow cytometry to assess sperm functionality and chromatin structure by SCSA (%DFI, DNA fragmentation; %HDS, chromatin maturity), monobromobimane (mBBr, tiol status/disulfide bridges between protamines), chromomycin A3 (CMA3, protamination), and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG, DNA oxidative damage). Data were analyzed using linear models for the effects of boar and storage, correlations, and multivariate analysis as hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Storage reduced sperm quality parameters, mainly motility, with no critical oxidative stress increases, while chromatin status worsened slightly (%DFI and 8-oxo-dG increased while mBBr MFI—median fluorescence intensity—and disulfide bridge levels decreased). Boar significantly affected most chromatin variables except CMA3; storage also affected most variables except %HDS. At day 0, sperm chromatin variables clustered closely, except for CMA3, and %HDS and 8-oxo-dG correlated with many variables (notably, mBBr). After storage, the relation between %HDS and 8-oxo-dG remained, but correlations among other variables disappeared, and mBBr variables clustered separately. The PCA suggested a considerable influence of mBBr on sample variance, especially regarding storage, with SCSA and 8-oxo-dG affecting between-sample variability. Overall, CMA3 was the least informative, in contrast with results in other species. The combination of DNA fragmentation, DNA oxidation, chromatin compaction, and tiol status seems a good candidate for obtaining a complete picture of pig sperm nucleus status. It raises many questions for future molecular studies and deserves further research to establish its usefulness as a fertility predictor in multivariate models. The usefulness of CMA3 should be clarified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)
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18 pages, 10583 KiB  
Article
Expression Dynamics Indicate Potential Roles of KIF17 for Nuclear Reshaping and Tail Formation during Spermiogenesis in Phascolosoma esculenta
by Yue Pan, Jingqian Wang, Xinming Gao, Chen Du, Congcong Hou, Daojun Tang and Junquan Zhu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010128 - 21 Dec 2023
Viewed by 606
Abstract
Kinesin family member17 (KIF17), a homologous dimer of the kinesin-2 protein family, has important microtubule-dependent and -independent roles in spermiogenesis. Little is known about KIF17 in the mollusk, Phascolosoma esculenta, a newly developed mariculture species in China. Here, we cloned the open [...] Read more.
Kinesin family member17 (KIF17), a homologous dimer of the kinesin-2 protein family, has important microtubule-dependent and -independent roles in spermiogenesis. Little is known about KIF17 in the mollusk, Phascolosoma esculenta, a newly developed mariculture species in China. Here, we cloned the open reading frame of Pe-kif17 and its related gene, Pe-act, and performed bioinformatics analysis on both. Pe-KIF17 and Pe-ACT are structurally conserved, indicating that they may be functionally conserved. The expression pattern of kif17/act mRNA performed during spermiogenesis revealed their expression in diverse tissues, with the highest expression level in the coelomic fluid of P. esculenta. The expressions of Pe-kif17 and Pe-act mRNA were relatively high during the breeding season (July–September), suggesting that Pe-KIF17/ACT may be involved in spermatogenesis, particularly during spermiogenesis. Further analysis of Pe-kif17 mRNA via fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed the continuous expression of this mRNA during spermiogenesis, suggesting potential functions in this process. Immunofluorescence showed that Pe-KIF17 co-localized with α-tubulin and migrated from the perinuclear cytoplasm to one side of the spermatid, forming the sperm tail. Pe-KIF17 and Pe-ACT also colocalized. KIF17 may participate in spermiogenesis of P. esculenta, particularly in nuclear reshaping and tail formation by interacting with microtubule structures similar to the manchette. Moreover, Pe-KIF17 with Pe-ACT is also involved in nuclear reshaping and tail formation in the absence of microtubules. This study provides evidence for the role of KIF17 during spermiogenesis and provides theoretical data for studies of the reproductive biology of P. esculenta. These findings are important for spermatogenesis in mollusks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)
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19 pages, 2954 KiB  
Article
Proteome Profiling of Canine Epididymal Fluid: In Search of Protein Markers of Epididymal Sperm Motility
by Aleksandra W. Cichowska, Jerzy Wisniewski, Mariusz A. Bromke, Beata Olejnik and Marzena Mogielnicka-Brzozowska
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(19), 14790; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241914790 - 30 Sep 2023
Viewed by 902
Abstract
Sperm maturation in the epididymis is based on interactions with proteins from epididymal fluid (EF). The aim of the study was to profile canine EF proteome and investigate correlations between EF protein content and epididymal spermatozoa (ES) motion parameters. Twenty-three male dogs were [...] Read more.
Sperm maturation in the epididymis is based on interactions with proteins from epididymal fluid (EF). The aim of the study was to profile canine EF proteome and investigate correlations between EF protein content and epididymal spermatozoa (ES) motion parameters. Twenty-three male dogs were divided into two groups: good sperm motility (GSM) and poor sperm motility (PSM). The total motility and progressive motility differed significantly (p = 0.031; p < 0.001, respectively) between the GSM group and the PSM group. The semen samples were centrifuged to separate the EF apart from the ES. The canine EF proteins were analyzed using nano-liquid chromatography, which was coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (NanoUPLC-Q-TOF/MS) and bioinformatic tools for the first time. A total of 915 proteins were identified (GSM—506; PSM—409, respectively). UniProt identification resulted in six unique proteins (UPs) in the GSM group of dogs and four UPs in the PSM group. A semi-quantitative analysis showed a higher abundance (p < 0.05) of four differentially expressed proteins in the GSM group (ALB, CRISP2, LCNL1, PTGDS). Motility-dependent variations were detected in the EF proteome and were related to important metabolic pathways, which might suggest that several proteins could be potential ES motility biomarkers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)
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26 pages, 6225 KiB  
Article
Novel Insights into circRNA Saga Coming from Spermatozoa and Epididymis of HFD Mice
by Francesco Manfrevola, Teresa Chioccarelli, Vincenza Grazia Mele, Veronica Porreca, Monica Mattia, Donatella Cimini, Antonella D’Agostino, Gilda Cobellis, Silvia Fasano, Chiara Schiraldi, Rosanna Chianese and Riccardo Pierantoni
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6865; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076865 - 06 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1740
Abstract
Obesity is a pathophysiological disorder associated with adiposity accumulation, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation state that is progressively increasing in younger population worldwide, negatively affecting male reproductive skills. An emerging topic in the field of male reproduction is circRNAs, covalently closed RNA molecules [...] Read more.
Obesity is a pathophysiological disorder associated with adiposity accumulation, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation state that is progressively increasing in younger population worldwide, negatively affecting male reproductive skills. An emerging topic in the field of male reproduction is circRNAs, covalently closed RNA molecules produced by backsplicing, actively involved in a successful spermatogenesis and in establishing high-quality sperm parameters. However, a direct correlation between obesity and impaired circRNA cargo in spermatozoa (SPZ) remains unclear. In the current work, using C57BL6/J male mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD, 60% fat) as experimental model of oxidative stress, we investigated the impact of HFD on sperm morphology and motility as well as on spermatic circRNAs. We performed a complete dataset of spermatic circRNA content by a microarray strategy, and differentially expressed (DE)-circRNAs were identified. Using a circRNA/miRNA/target network (ceRNET) analysis, we identified circRNAs potentially involved in oxidative stress and sperm motility pathways. Interestingly, we demonstrated an enhanced skill of HFD sperm in backsplicing activity together with an inefficient epididymal circRNA biogenesis. Fused protein in sarcoma (FUS) and its ability to recruit quaking (QKI) could be involved in orchestrating such mechanism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)
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Review

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14 pages, 1049 KiB  
Review
Mechanisms That Protect Mammalian Sperm from the Spontaneous Acrosome Reaction
by Haim Breitbart and Elina Grinshtein
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 17005; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242317005 - 30 Nov 2023
Viewed by 894
Abstract
To acquire the capacity to fertilize the oocyte, mammalian spermatozoa must undergo a series of biochemical reactions in the female reproductive tract, which are collectively called capacitation. The capacitated spermatozoa subsequently interact with the oocyte zona-pellucida and undergo the acrosome reaction, which enables [...] Read more.
To acquire the capacity to fertilize the oocyte, mammalian spermatozoa must undergo a series of biochemical reactions in the female reproductive tract, which are collectively called capacitation. The capacitated spermatozoa subsequently interact with the oocyte zona-pellucida and undergo the acrosome reaction, which enables the penetration of the oocyte and subsequent fertilization. However, the spontaneous acrosome reaction (sAR) can occur prematurely in the sperm before reaching the oocyte cumulus oophorus, thereby jeopardizing fertilization. One of the main processes in capacitation involves actin polymerization, and the resulting F-actin is subsequently dispersed prior to the acrosome reaction. Several biochemical reactions that occur during sperm capacitation, including actin polymerization, protect sperm from sAR. In the present review, we describe the protective mechanisms that regulate sperm capacitation and prevent sAR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)
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21 pages, 1153 KiB  
Review
Cryopreservation of Human Spermatozoa: Functional, Molecular and Clinical Aspects
by Lara Tamburrino, Giulia Traini, Arianna Marcellini, Linda Vignozzi, Elisabetta Baldi and Sara Marchiani
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4656; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054656 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3072
Abstract
Cryopreservation is an expanding strategy to allow not only fertility preservation for individuals who need such procedures because of gonadotoxic treatments, active duty in dangerous occupations or social reasons and gamete donation for couples where conception is denied, but also for animal breeding [...] Read more.
Cryopreservation is an expanding strategy to allow not only fertility preservation for individuals who need such procedures because of gonadotoxic treatments, active duty in dangerous occupations or social reasons and gamete donation for couples where conception is denied, but also for animal breeding and preservation of endangered animal species. Despite the improvement in semen cryopreservation techniques and the worldwide expansion of semen banks, damage to spermatozoa and the consequent impairment of its functions still remain unsolved problems, conditioning the choice of the technique in assisted reproduction procedures. Although many studies have attempted to find solutions to limit sperm damage following cryopreservation and identify possible markers of damage susceptibility, active research in this field is still required in order to optimize the process. Here, we review the available evidence regarding structural, molecular and functional damage occurring in cryopreserved human spermatozoa and the possible strategies to prevent it and optimize the procedures. Finally, we review the results on assisted reproduction technique (ARTs) outcomes following the use of cryopreserved spermatozoa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Insights into the Biology of Spermatozoa 2.0)
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