Increasing studies have shown that specific mRNAs and miRNAs expressed in mature sperm may be related to sperm motility. However, the expression profiles and roles of lncRNAs in sperm remain unknown. In the present study, numerous lncRNAs were identified in human sperm, and some lncRNAs were expressed exclusively in sperm and testis. Compared with normal sperm, the lncRNA expression profiles in asthenozoospermia (AZS) sperm showed significant differences. Gene ontology and pathway analyses showed that function of differentially expressed lncRNA targets and mRNAs between AZS and normal sperm were closely-linked with many processes involved in spermatogenesis and sperm function. Furthermore, among the up-regulated lncRNAs in AZS sperm, lnc32058, lnc09522 and lnc98487, which exhibited specific/enriched sperm and testicular expression, increased simultaneously in the same AZS sperm samples, and their expression levels were correlated with sperm progressive motility. This is the first systematic study of lncRNA expression profiles in human mature sperm indicating an association between lncRNA expression and sperm motility. The study provides a preliminary database for identifying lncRNAs crucial for human spermatogenesis and sperm function, and new insights into our understanding of the regulation of sperm motility and causes of male infertility.
Biology of reproduction. 2018 Dec 04 [Epub ahead of print]
Xiaoning Zhang, Peng Zhang, Dandan Song, Suping Xiong, Hongyan Zhang, Jianbo Fu, Fengxin Gao, Houyang Chen, Xuhui Zeng
Institute of Life Science and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China., Reproductive Medical Center, Jiangxi Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.