精子中DNA甲基化修饰研究进展

Advances on Sperm DNA Methylation

DNA甲基化是表观遗传学的重要内容之一,精子在发生过程中经历了甲基化和去甲基化过程,精子DNA甲基化修饰的稳定性依赖于鱼精蛋白,不育男性精液质量的降低与精子基因组甲基化水平改变有关,但目前大家研究基因位点多而杂,这些位点甲基化模式的改变是否有相互联系尚不清楚,研究热点集中在某一些生精相关的印记基因的甲基化水平改变比较多,但其机制仍然模糊,精子DNA甲基化修饰改变是否影响辅助生殖结果目前也有争论,各种理化环境因素对精子中DNA甲基化修饰影响已被越来越多的研究者发现,但具体机制有待进一步研究。

DNA methylation is an important content of epigenetics, sperm DNA experienced methylation and demethylation in the process of spermatogenesis with its methylation modification depend on the stability ofprotamine, infertile men with lower quality of semen have sperm genome methylation level change, but now genetic loci we study are many and miscellaneous, whether there is a correlation with these locus of these methylation patterns change is not clear, the mechanism which researchers focused on some locus related to sperm production is still vague, whether these sperm DNA methylation modification changes have an influence on the outcome of assisted reproduction is controversial. More and more researchers have found that physical and chemical environmental factors have effects on the sperm DNA methylation modification, but the specific mechanism needs further research.