BACKGROUND Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)are the origin of male spermatogenesis,which can reconstruct germ cell lineage in mice.However,the application of SSCs for male fertility restoration is hindered due to the un...BACKGROUND Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)are the origin of male spermatogenesis,which can reconstruct germ cell lineage in mice.However,the application of SSCs for male fertility restoration is hindered due to the unclear mechanisms of proliferation and self-renewal in humans.AIM To investigate the role and mechanism of SPOC domain-containing protein 1(SPOCD1)in human SSC proliferation.METHODS We analyzed publicly available human testis single-cell RNA sequencing(RNAseq)data and found that SPOCD1 is predominantly expressed in SSCs in the early developmental stages.Small interfering RNA was applied to suppress SPOCD1 expression to detect the impacts of SPOCD1 inhibition on SSC proliferation and apoptosis.Subsequently,we explored the target genes of SPOCD1 using RNA-seq and confirmed their role by restoring the expression of the target genes.In addition,we examined SPOCD1 expression in some non-obstructive azoospermia(NOA)patients to explore the correlation between SPOCD1 and NOA.RESULTS The uniform manifold approximation and projection clustering and pseudotime analysis showed that SPOCD1 was highly expressed in the early stages of SSC,and immunohistological results showed that SPOCD1 was mainly localized in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-1 positive SSCs.SPOCD1 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis.RNA-seq results showed that SPOCD1 knockdown significantly downregulated genes such as adenylate kinase 4(AK4).Overexpression of AK4 in SPOCD1 knockdown cells partially reversed the phenotypic changes,indicating that AK4 is a functional target gene of SPOCD1.In addition,we found a significant downregulation of SPOCD1 expression in some NOA patients,suggesting that the downregulation of SPOCD1 may be relevant for NOA.CONCLUSION Our study broadens the understanding of human SSC fate determination and may offer new theories on the etiology of male infertility.展开更多
The complexities of energy transfer mechanisms in the flagella of mammalian sperm flagella have been intensively investigated and demonstrate significant diversity across species.Enzymatic shuttles,particularly adenyl...The complexities of energy transfer mechanisms in the flagella of mammalian sperm flagella have been intensively investigated and demonstrate significant diversity across species.Enzymatic shuttles,particularly adenylate kinase(AK)and creatine kinase(CK),are pivotal in the efficient transfer of intracellular ATP,showing distinct tissue-and species-specificity.Here,the expression profiles of AK and CK were investigated in mice and found to fall into four subgroups,of which Subgroup III AKs were observed to be unique to the male reproductive system and conserved across chordates.Both AK8 and AK9 were found to be indispensable to male reproduction after analysis of an infertile male cohort.Knockout mouse models showed that AK8 and AK9 were central to promoting sperm motility.Immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry revealed that AK8 and AK9 interact with the radial spoke(RS)of the axoneme.Examination of various human and mouse sperm samples with substructural damage,including the presence of multiple RS subunits,showed that the head of radial spoke 3 acts as an adapter for AK9 in the flagellar axoneme.Using an ATP probe together with metabolomic analysis,it was found that AK8 and AK9 cooperatively regulated ATP transfer in the axoneme,and were concentrated at sites associated with energy consumption in the flagellum.These findings indicate a novel function for RS beyond its structural role,namely,the regulation of ATP transfer.In conclusion,the results expand the functional spectrum of AK proteins and suggest a fresh model regarding ATP transfer within mammalian flagella.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China,No.82201771National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.32270912+2 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Changsha,No.kq2202491Research Grant of CITIC-Xiangya,No.YNXM202109 and No.YNXM202115Hunan Provincial Grant for Innovative Province Construction,No.2019SK4012。
文摘BACKGROUND Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)are the origin of male spermatogenesis,which can reconstruct germ cell lineage in mice.However,the application of SSCs for male fertility restoration is hindered due to the unclear mechanisms of proliferation and self-renewal in humans.AIM To investigate the role and mechanism of SPOC domain-containing protein 1(SPOCD1)in human SSC proliferation.METHODS We analyzed publicly available human testis single-cell RNA sequencing(RNAseq)data and found that SPOCD1 is predominantly expressed in SSCs in the early developmental stages.Small interfering RNA was applied to suppress SPOCD1 expression to detect the impacts of SPOCD1 inhibition on SSC proliferation and apoptosis.Subsequently,we explored the target genes of SPOCD1 using RNA-seq and confirmed their role by restoring the expression of the target genes.In addition,we examined SPOCD1 expression in some non-obstructive azoospermia(NOA)patients to explore the correlation between SPOCD1 and NOA.RESULTS The uniform manifold approximation and projection clustering and pseudotime analysis showed that SPOCD1 was highly expressed in the early stages of SSC,and immunohistological results showed that SPOCD1 was mainly localized in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-1 positive SSCs.SPOCD1 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis.RNA-seq results showed that SPOCD1 knockdown significantly downregulated genes such as adenylate kinase 4(AK4).Overexpression of AK4 in SPOCD1 knockdown cells partially reversed the phenotypic changes,indicating that AK4 is a functional target gene of SPOCD1.In addition,we found a significant downregulation of SPOCD1 expression in some NOA patients,suggesting that the downregulation of SPOCD1 may be relevant for NOA.CONCLUSION Our study broadens the understanding of human SSC fate determination and may offer new theories on the etiology of male infertility.
基金supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFC2702702,2021YFC2700901)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81971441,82171607,32000584)+3 种基金the University Outstanding Young Talents Support Program(gxyq2021174)Non-profit Central Research Institute Fund of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences(2019PT310002)Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation(2208085Y31)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20230004).
文摘The complexities of energy transfer mechanisms in the flagella of mammalian sperm flagella have been intensively investigated and demonstrate significant diversity across species.Enzymatic shuttles,particularly adenylate kinase(AK)and creatine kinase(CK),are pivotal in the efficient transfer of intracellular ATP,showing distinct tissue-and species-specificity.Here,the expression profiles of AK and CK were investigated in mice and found to fall into four subgroups,of which Subgroup III AKs were observed to be unique to the male reproductive system and conserved across chordates.Both AK8 and AK9 were found to be indispensable to male reproduction after analysis of an infertile male cohort.Knockout mouse models showed that AK8 and AK9 were central to promoting sperm motility.Immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry revealed that AK8 and AK9 interact with the radial spoke(RS)of the axoneme.Examination of various human and mouse sperm samples with substructural damage,including the presence of multiple RS subunits,showed that the head of radial spoke 3 acts as an adapter for AK9 in the flagellar axoneme.Using an ATP probe together with metabolomic analysis,it was found that AK8 and AK9 cooperatively regulated ATP transfer in the axoneme,and were concentrated at sites associated with energy consumption in the flagellum.These findings indicate a novel function for RS beyond its structural role,namely,the regulation of ATP transfer.In conclusion,the results expand the functional spectrum of AK proteins and suggest a fresh model regarding ATP transfer within mammalian flagella.
