Asthenozoospermia （AS） is a common cause of human male infertility. In one study, more than 80% of the samples from infertile men had reduced sperm motility. Seminal plasma is a mixture of secretions from the testis...Asthenozoospermia （AS） is a common cause of human male infertility. In one study, more than 80% of the samples from infertile men had reduced sperm motility. Seminal plasma is a mixture of secretions from the testis, epididymis and several male accessory glands, including the prostate, seminal vesicles and Cowper＇s gland. Studies have shown that seminal plasma contains proteins that are important for sperm motility. To further explore the pathophysiological character of AS, we separated the seminal plasma proteins from AS patients and healthy donors using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in-gel digestion, and then subjected the proteins to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） analysis. A total of 741 proteins were identified in the seminal plasma, with a false discovery rate of 3.3%. Using spectral counting, we found that 45 proteins were threefold upregulated and 56 proteins were threefold downregulated in the AS group when compared with the control. Most of these proteins originated from the epididymis and prostate. This study identified a rich source of biomarker candidates for male infertility and indicates that functional abnormalities of the epididymis and prostate can contribute to AS. We identified D J-1--a protein that has been shown elsewhere to be involved in the control of oxidative stress （OS）-as a downregulated protein in AS seminal plasma. The levels of D J-1 in AS seminal plasma were about half of those in the control samples. In addition, the levels of reactive oxygen species were 3.3-fold higher in the AS samples than in the controls. Taken together, these data suggest that downregulation of DJ-1 is involved in OS in semen, and therefore affects the quality of the semen.展开更多
A growing number of researches have shown that ouabain can regulate mammalian sperm function and male reproduction by modulating the sperm motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction in vitro. This study further exam...A growing number of researches have shown that ouabain can regulate mammalian sperm function and male reproduction by modulating the sperm motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction in vitro. This study further examined the relationship between ouabain and asthenozoospermia. In this study, the rat was intraperitoneally injected with ouabain at different concentrations（low-dose ouabain group： 12.5 μg/kg body weight per day, and high-dose ouabain group： 25 μg/kg body weight per day） for 30 days to establish the asthenozoospermia model. The sperms from 60 males with normal fertility were incubated with ouabain of gradient concentrations（10-7–10-2mol/L） for 4 h. The sperm motility was evaluated under a microscope. Moreover, the endogenous ouabain（EO） level was determined in seminal plasma of mild or severe asthenozoospermia patients and males with normal fertility by competitive inhibition ELISA. The results showed that the sperm motility was significantly diminished in the rats treated with different concentrations of ouabain. The number of motile sperms（grades a and b） was decreased greatly in a time- and dose-dependent manner in 10-5–10-2mol/L ouabain groups（P0.01）, while no obvious change in sperm motility was observed in 10-7–10-6mol/L groups even for 4-h incubation（P0.05）. Furthermore, the EO level was significantly increased in asthenozoospermia patients as compared with that in males with normal fertility（25.27±1.71 μg/L in mild asthenozoospermia patients, 26.52±1.82 μg/L in severe asthenozoospermia patients, 19.31±1.45 μg/L in normal fertility men）（P0.01）. In conclusion, rat asthenozoospermia was successfully established by intraperitoneal injection of ouabain, and 10-5mol/L ouabain was sufficient enough to inhibit sperm motility in vitro. Moreover, EO, a normal constituent of seminal plasma, was highly expressed in asthenozoospermia males as compared with normal fertility ones.展开更多
Objective:The relationship between mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)polymorphisms and abnormalities in sperm quality has been the subject of several studies,with the objective of improving the treatment of male infertility.Thi...Objective:The relationship between mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)polymorphisms and abnormalities in sperm quality has been the subject of several studies,with the objective of improving the treatment of male infertility.This study,which contributes to the identification of genetic markers of sperm abnormalities,was conducted to study mtDNA mutations in the asthenozoospermia profile.Methods:This case-control study included 30 patients with asthenozoospermia and 28 with normospermia after spermogram and spermocytogram analyses.After the extraction of total DNA from the spermatozoa of 58 ejaculates from these individuals using the phenol-chloroform method,the amplification of genes of interest in mtDNA using specific primers was performed by conventional polymerase chain reaction,and sequencing was used to detect mutations.Results:Male patients with asthenozoospermia in the tertiary sector had significantly more mutant-than wild-type(P=0.0005)MT-CO II genes.Similarly,for the same gene,males with asthenozoospermia and primary infertility had significantly more mutants than the wild-type(P=0.001).Sequencing revealed 29 mutations that were observed only with asthenozoospermia,which could be the basis for low sperm mobility.Conclusion:This study identified several mutations in mtDNA genes that could be considered genetic markers of asthenozoospermia if confirmed in a deeper study.展开更多
Objective:To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of the Chinese medicine(CM)Qixiong Zhongzi Decoction(芪芎种子汤,QZD)in the treatment of patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia.Methods:A total number of ...Objective:To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of the Chinese medicine(CM)Qixiong Zhongzi Decoction(芪芎种子汤,QZD)in the treatment of patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia.Methods:A total number of 66 patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia were included and randomly divided into treatment and control groups by SAS-generated code from January 2015 to August 2016,33 patients in each group.Patients in the treatment group were administered with 150 m L of QZD twice a day,whereas those in the control group were given 1 g of levocarnitine oral liquid twice a day.The two groups received the indicated medication for 12 weeks and were then followed up for 4 weeks.The primary outcome was sperm motility,and the secondary therapeutic indices were sperm volume,density,pregnancy probability,and CM syndrome score.The comparison between groups was carried out at 4,8 and 12 weeks,respectively.The safety was determined before and after treatment.Results:(1)Drop-off:5 cases(7.58%)were lost after treatment(2 from the treatment group and 3 from the control group).(2)Primary outcomes:after 8-and 12-week treatment,the progressive sperms in the two groups were significantly higher than the baseline(all P<0.05);however,the treatment group showed greater improvement compared with the control group at 12-week treatment(22.7%±9.0%vs.14.1%±8.8%,P<0.05).The increasement of non-progressive grade sperms at both groups was observed at 8-and 12-week treatment with statistical difference(all P<0.05),however,the treatment group showed remarkable improvement compared with the control group at 12-week treatment(38.7%±14.1%vs.26.2%±15.4%,P<0.05).(3)Secondary outcomes:no significant statistical differences were found in semen volume and density(4,8,and 12-week treatment)and pregnancy probability of patients’wives(12-week treatment)between two groups(all P>0.05),however,the CM syndrome score of the treatment group significantly declined compared with baseline level at each time points(all P<0.05).(4)Safety:no obvious side reactions were found during the treatment in both groups.Conclusions:QZD could improve the progressive and non-progressive grade sperm in the treatment of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.It is safe with no obvious side effects.展开更多
Human spermatozoa encounter an osmotic decrease from 330 to 290 mOsm I-z when passing through the female reproductive tract. We aimed to evaluate the role of chloride channels in volume regulation and sperm motility f...Human spermatozoa encounter an osmotic decrease from 330 to 290 mOsm I-z when passing through the female reproductive tract. We aimed to evaluate the role of chloride channels in volume regulation and sperm motility from patients with asthenozoospermia. Spermatozoa were purified using Percoll density gradients. Sperm volume was measured as the forward scatter signal using flow cytometry. Sperm motility was analyzed using computer-aided sperm analysis （CASA）. When transferred from an isotonic solution （330 mOsm I-z） to a hypotonic solution （290 mOsm I-Z）, cell volume was not changed in spermatozoa from normozoospermic men; but increased in those from asthenozoospermic samples. The addition of the chloride channel blockers, 4,4＇-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2＇- isulfonic acid （DIDS） or 5-nitro-2-（3-phenylpropylamino） benzoic acid （NPPB） to the hypotonic solution caused the normal spermatozoa to swell but did not increase the volume of those from the asthenozoospermic semen. DIDS and NPPB decreased sperm motility in both sets of semen samples. The inhibitory effect of NPPB on normal sperm motility was much stronger than on spermatozoa from the asthenozoospermic samples. Both sperm types expressed CIC-3 chloride channels, but the expression levels in the asthenozoospermic samples were much lower, especially in the neck and mid-piece areas. Spermatozoa from men with asthenozoospermia demonstrated lower volume regulating capacity, mobility, and CIC-3 expression levels （especially in the neck） than did normal spermatozoa. Thus, chloride channels play important roles in the regulation of sperm volume and motility and are downregulated in cases of asthenozoospermia.展开更多
Spermatozoa are not mature until they transit the epididymis where they acquire motility and the ability to fertilize an egg through sequential modifications. The epididymis has three functional regions, caput, corpus...Spermatozoa are not mature until they transit the epididymis where they acquire motility and the ability to fertilize an egg through sequential modifications. The epididymis has three functional regions, caput, corpus, and cauda, and the luminal proteins of the epididymis play important roles in the above modifications. However, the proteins with differential enrichment between the caput and cauda are still largely unknown. To reveal the functions of the caput and cauda during sperm maturation, luminal proteins from caput and cauda of mice were analyzed by isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation （iTRAQ）. Overall, 128 differentially enriched proteins were found, of which 46 were caput enriched and 82 were cauda enriched. Bioinformatic analysis showed that lipid metabolism was active in the caput; while anion- and cation-binding activity and phosphorus and organophosphate metabolism were active in the cauda. A new epididymal luminal protein, the caput-enriched PDZ domain containing 1 （Pdzkl）, also named Na^＋/H^＋ exchange regulatory cofactor 3 （NHERF3）, which plays a critical role in cholesterol metabolism and carnitine transport, was found in the lipid metabolism. Western blotting and immunofluorescence analyses showed that Pdzkl was expressed in the epididymis but not in the testis, and localized at the middle piece of the sperm tail. Pdzkl protein level was also reduced in the spermatozoa in case of asthenozoospermic patients compared with that in normozoospermic men, suggesting that Pdzkl may participate in sperm maturation regulation and may be associated with male infertility. These results may provide new insights into the mechanisms of sperm maturation and male infertility.展开更多
Background Infertility is a major medical and social problem, and elementary research on the spermatozoal proteins and their functions are relatively scarce and there are very few confirmed and effective options for t...Background Infertility is a major medical and social problem, and elementary research on the spermatozoal proteins and their functions are relatively scarce and there are very few confirmed and effective options for the treatment of male infertility. Thus, it is essential to find candidate proteins that affect male infertility. This study was designed to detect the proteins with differential expression in sperm from infertile patients and normal donors.Methods Semen samples from patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia （n=114） and from fertile men with normal spermiograms （n=37） were collected. Semen sample analysis, sperm protein extraction, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and Western blotting analysis were performed. Results were analyzed by SPSS 16.0 statistical software.Results Western blotting analysis of spermatic proteins displayed a major differentially expressed protein in spermatozoa from fertile and idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients. Densities and volumes of the identified protein in the patients were significantly decreased compared to normal donors （P=0.034 and P=0.036, respectively）. The protein was identified as DEAD-box protein 4 （DDX4, VASA）. The expression and correction value （CV） of DDX4/VASA in the patients was reduced significantly compared to normal donors （P=0.037 and P=0.031, respectively）.Conclusions The expression of spermatic protein DDX4/VASA associates with spermatic motility, implying that DDX4NASA may be a candidate marker for evaluation of spermatic motility.展开更多
Idiopathic asthenozoospermia,a common factor in male infertility,is characterized by altered sperm motility function in fresh ejaculate.Although theβ-defensin 126(DEFB126)protein is associated with asthenozoospermia,...Idiopathic asthenozoospermia,a common factor in male infertility,is characterized by altered sperm motility function in fresh ejaculate.Although theβ-defensin 126(DEFB126)protein is associated with asthenozoospermia,DEFB126 gene polymorphisms have not been extensively studied.Therefore,the association between DEFB126 gene polymorphisms and asthenozoospermia requires further investigation.Screening was performed by semen analysis,karyotype analysis,and Y microdeletion detection,and 102 fertile men and 106 men with asthenozoospermia in Chengdu,China,were selected for DEFB126 gene sequence analyses.Seven nucleotide mutations and two nucleotide deletions in the DEFB126 gene were detected.rs11467417(317-318 del/del),rs11467497(163-166 wt/del),c.152T>C,and c.227A>G were significantly different between the control and asthenozoospermia groups,likely representing high-risk genetic factors for asthenozoospermia among males.DEFB126 expression was not observed in sperm with rs11467497 homozygous deletion and was unstable in sperm with rs11467417 homozygous deletion.The rs11467497 four-nucleotide deletion leads to truncation of DEFB126 at the carboxy-terminus,and the rs11467417 binucleotide deletion produces a non-stop messenger RNA(mRNA).The above deletions may be responsible for male hypofertility and infertility by reducing DEFB126 affinity to sperm surfaces.Based on in silico analysis,the amino acids 51M and 76K are located in the highly conserved domain;c.152T>C(M51T)and c.227A>G(K76R)are predicted to be damaging and capable of changing alternative splice,structural and posttranslational modification sites of the RNA,as well as the secondary structure,structural stability,and hydrophobicity of the protein,suggesting that these mutations are associated with asthenozoospermia.展开更多
文摘Asthenozoospermia （AS） is a common cause of human male infertility. In one study, more than 80% of the samples from infertile men had reduced sperm motility. Seminal plasma is a mixture of secretions from the testis, epididymis and several male accessory glands, including the prostate, seminal vesicles and Cowper＇s gland. Studies have shown that seminal plasma contains proteins that are important for sperm motility. To further explore the pathophysiological character of AS, we separated the seminal plasma proteins from AS patients and healthy donors using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in-gel digestion, and then subjected the proteins to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） analysis. A total of 741 proteins were identified in the seminal plasma, with a false discovery rate of 3.3%. Using spectral counting, we found that 45 proteins were threefold upregulated and 56 proteins were threefold downregulated in the AS group when compared with the control. Most of these proteins originated from the epididymis and prostate. This study identified a rich source of biomarker candidates for male infertility and indicates that functional abnormalities of the epididymis and prostate can contribute to AS. We identified D J-1--a protein that has been shown elsewhere to be involved in the control of oxidative stress （OS）-as a downregulated protein in AS seminal plasma. The levels of D J-1 in AS seminal plasma were about half of those in the control samples. In addition, the levels of reactive oxygen species were 3.3-fold higher in the AS samples than in the controls. Taken together, these data suggest that downregulation of DJ-1 is involved in OS in semen, and therefore affects the quality of the semen.
基金supported by 2012 Independence Innovation Foundation of Huazhong University of Science and Technology(No.01-18-519003)
文摘A growing number of researches have shown that ouabain can regulate mammalian sperm function and male reproduction by modulating the sperm motility, capacitation and acrosome reaction in vitro. This study further examined the relationship between ouabain and asthenozoospermia. In this study, the rat was intraperitoneally injected with ouabain at different concentrations（low-dose ouabain group： 12.5 μg/kg body weight per day, and high-dose ouabain group： 25 μg/kg body weight per day） for 30 days to establish the asthenozoospermia model. The sperms from 60 males with normal fertility were incubated with ouabain of gradient concentrations（10-7–10-2mol/L） for 4 h. The sperm motility was evaluated under a microscope. Moreover, the endogenous ouabain（EO） level was determined in seminal plasma of mild or severe asthenozoospermia patients and males with normal fertility by competitive inhibition ELISA. The results showed that the sperm motility was significantly diminished in the rats treated with different concentrations of ouabain. The number of motile sperms（grades a and b） was decreased greatly in a time- and dose-dependent manner in 10-5–10-2mol/L ouabain groups（P0.01）, while no obvious change in sperm motility was observed in 10-7–10-6mol/L groups even for 4-h incubation（P0.05）. Furthermore, the EO level was significantly increased in asthenozoospermia patients as compared with that in males with normal fertility（25.27±1.71 μg/L in mild asthenozoospermia patients, 26.52±1.82 μg/L in severe asthenozoospermia patients, 19.31±1.45 μg/L in normal fertility men）（P0.01）. In conclusion, rat asthenozoospermia was successfully established by intraperitoneal injection of ouabain, and 10-5mol/L ouabain was sufficient enough to inhibit sperm motility in vitro. Moreover, EO, a normal constituent of seminal plasma, was highly expressed in asthenozoospermia males as compared with normal fertility ones.
文摘Objective:The relationship between mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA)polymorphisms and abnormalities in sperm quality has been the subject of several studies,with the objective of improving the treatment of male infertility.This study,which contributes to the identification of genetic markers of sperm abnormalities,was conducted to study mtDNA mutations in the asthenozoospermia profile.Methods:This case-control study included 30 patients with asthenozoospermia and 28 with normospermia after spermogram and spermocytogram analyses.After the extraction of total DNA from the spermatozoa of 58 ejaculates from these individuals using the phenol-chloroform method,the amplification of genes of interest in mtDNA using specific primers was performed by conventional polymerase chain reaction,and sequencing was used to detect mutations.Results:Male patients with asthenozoospermia in the tertiary sector had significantly more mutant-than wild-type(P=0.0005)MT-CO II genes.Similarly,for the same gene,males with asthenozoospermia and primary infertility had significantly more mutants than the wild-type(P=0.001).Sequencing revealed 29 mutations that were observed only with asthenozoospermia,which could be the basis for low sperm mobility.Conclusion:This study identified several mutations in mtDNA genes that could be considered genetic markers of asthenozoospermia if confirmed in a deeper study.
基金Supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes(No.ZZ070855)
文摘Objective:To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of the Chinese medicine(CM)Qixiong Zhongzi Decoction(芪芎种子汤,QZD)in the treatment of patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia.Methods:A total number of 66 patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia were included and randomly divided into treatment and control groups by SAS-generated code from January 2015 to August 2016,33 patients in each group.Patients in the treatment group were administered with 150 m L of QZD twice a day,whereas those in the control group were given 1 g of levocarnitine oral liquid twice a day.The two groups received the indicated medication for 12 weeks and were then followed up for 4 weeks.The primary outcome was sperm motility,and the secondary therapeutic indices were sperm volume,density,pregnancy probability,and CM syndrome score.The comparison between groups was carried out at 4,8 and 12 weeks,respectively.The safety was determined before and after treatment.Results:(1)Drop-off:5 cases(7.58%)were lost after treatment(2 from the treatment group and 3 from the control group).(2)Primary outcomes:after 8-and 12-week treatment,the progressive sperms in the two groups were significantly higher than the baseline(all P<0.05);however,the treatment group showed greater improvement compared with the control group at 12-week treatment(22.7%±9.0%vs.14.1%±8.8%,P<0.05).The increasement of non-progressive grade sperms at both groups was observed at 8-and 12-week treatment with statistical difference(all P<0.05),however,the treatment group showed remarkable improvement compared with the control group at 12-week treatment(38.7%±14.1%vs.26.2%±15.4%,P<0.05).(3)Secondary outcomes:no significant statistical differences were found in semen volume and density(4,8,and 12-week treatment)and pregnancy probability of patients’wives(12-week treatment)between two groups(all P>0.05),however,the CM syndrome score of the treatment group significantly declined compared with baseline level at each time points(all P<0.05).(4)Safety:no obvious side reactions were found during the treatment in both groups.Conclusions:QZD could improve the progressive and non-progressive grade sperm in the treatment of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.It is safe with no obvious side effects.
文摘Human spermatozoa encounter an osmotic decrease from 330 to 290 mOsm I-z when passing through the female reproductive tract. We aimed to evaluate the role of chloride channels in volume regulation and sperm motility from patients with asthenozoospermia. Spermatozoa were purified using Percoll density gradients. Sperm volume was measured as the forward scatter signal using flow cytometry. Sperm motility was analyzed using computer-aided sperm analysis （CASA）. When transferred from an isotonic solution （330 mOsm I-z） to a hypotonic solution （290 mOsm I-Z）, cell volume was not changed in spermatozoa from normozoospermic men; but increased in those from asthenozoospermic samples. The addition of the chloride channel blockers, 4,4＇-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2＇- isulfonic acid （DIDS） or 5-nitro-2-（3-phenylpropylamino） benzoic acid （NPPB） to the hypotonic solution caused the normal spermatozoa to swell but did not increase the volume of those from the asthenozoospermic semen. DIDS and NPPB decreased sperm motility in both sets of semen samples. The inhibitory effect of NPPB on normal sperm motility was much stronger than on spermatozoa from the asthenozoospermic samples. Both sperm types expressed CIC-3 chloride channels, but the expression levels in the asthenozoospermic samples were much lower, especially in the neck and mid-piece areas. Spermatozoa from men with asthenozoospermia demonstrated lower volume regulating capacity, mobility, and CIC-3 expression levels （especially in the neck） than did normal spermatozoa. Thus, chloride channels play important roles in the regulation of sperm volume and motility and are downregulated in cases of asthenozoospermia.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants （81430027 and 81671510 to FS 81501309 to GSW） and the National Basic Research Program of China （2014CB943100 to FS）.
文摘Spermatozoa are not mature until they transit the epididymis where they acquire motility and the ability to fertilize an egg through sequential modifications. The epididymis has three functional regions, caput, corpus, and cauda, and the luminal proteins of the epididymis play important roles in the above modifications. However, the proteins with differential enrichment between the caput and cauda are still largely unknown. To reveal the functions of the caput and cauda during sperm maturation, luminal proteins from caput and cauda of mice were analyzed by isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation （iTRAQ）. Overall, 128 differentially enriched proteins were found, of which 46 were caput enriched and 82 were cauda enriched. Bioinformatic analysis showed that lipid metabolism was active in the caput; while anion- and cation-binding activity and phosphorus and organophosphate metabolism were active in the cauda. A new epididymal luminal protein, the caput-enriched PDZ domain containing 1 （Pdzkl）, also named Na^＋/H^＋ exchange regulatory cofactor 3 （NHERF3）, which plays a critical role in cholesterol metabolism and carnitine transport, was found in the lipid metabolism. Western blotting and immunofluorescence analyses showed that Pdzkl was expressed in the epididymis but not in the testis, and localized at the middle piece of the sperm tail. Pdzkl protein level was also reduced in the spermatozoa in case of asthenozoospermic patients compared with that in normozoospermic men, suggesting that Pdzkl may participate in sperm maturation regulation and may be associated with male infertility. These results may provide new insights into the mechanisms of sperm maturation and male infertility.
文摘Background Infertility is a major medical and social problem, and elementary research on the spermatozoal proteins and their functions are relatively scarce and there are very few confirmed and effective options for the treatment of male infertility. Thus, it is essential to find candidate proteins that affect male infertility. This study was designed to detect the proteins with differential expression in sperm from infertile patients and normal donors.Methods Semen samples from patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia （n=114） and from fertile men with normal spermiograms （n=37） were collected. Semen sample analysis, sperm protein extraction, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and Western blotting analysis were performed. Results were analyzed by SPSS 16.0 statistical software.Results Western blotting analysis of spermatic proteins displayed a major differentially expressed protein in spermatozoa from fertile and idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients. Densities and volumes of the identified protein in the patients were significantly decreased compared to normal donors （P=0.034 and P=0.036, respectively）. The protein was identified as DEAD-box protein 4 （DDX4, VASA）. The expression and correction value （CV） of DDX4/VASA in the patients was reduced significantly compared to normal donors （P=0.037 and P=0.031, respectively）.Conclusions The expression of spermatic protein DDX4/VASA associates with spermatic motility, implying that DDX4NASA may be a candidate marker for evaluation of spermatic motility.
文摘Idiopathic asthenozoospermia,a common factor in male infertility,is characterized by altered sperm motility function in fresh ejaculate.Although theβ-defensin 126(DEFB126)protein is associated with asthenozoospermia,DEFB126 gene polymorphisms have not been extensively studied.Therefore,the association between DEFB126 gene polymorphisms and asthenozoospermia requires further investigation.Screening was performed by semen analysis,karyotype analysis,and Y microdeletion detection,and 102 fertile men and 106 men with asthenozoospermia in Chengdu,China,were selected for DEFB126 gene sequence analyses.Seven nucleotide mutations and two nucleotide deletions in the DEFB126 gene were detected.rs11467417(317-318 del/del),rs11467497(163-166 wt/del),c.152T>C,and c.227A>G were significantly different between the control and asthenozoospermia groups,likely representing high-risk genetic factors for asthenozoospermia among males.DEFB126 expression was not observed in sperm with rs11467497 homozygous deletion and was unstable in sperm with rs11467417 homozygous deletion.The rs11467497 four-nucleotide deletion leads to truncation of DEFB126 at the carboxy-terminus,and the rs11467417 binucleotide deletion produces a non-stop messenger RNA(mRNA).The above deletions may be responsible for male hypofertility and infertility by reducing DEFB126 affinity to sperm surfaces.Based on in silico analysis,the amino acids 51M and 76K are located in the highly conserved domain;c.152T>C(M51T)and c.227A>G(K76R)are predicted to be damaging and capable of changing alternative splice,structural and posttranslational modification sites of the RNA,as well as the secondary structure,structural stability,and hydrophobicity of the protein,suggesting that these mutations are associated with asthenozoospermia.
