Body mass index is not associated with sperm-zona pellucida binding ability in subfertile males

Lifestyle factors, such as weight and nutritional status may affect male fertility, including sperm fertilization ability. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the association between body mass index （BMI） and sperm-zona pellucida binding ability assessed according to the zona binding （ZB） test, which has been described to be a relevant diagnostic tool for the prediction of in vitro fertilization （IVF） ability. Three hundred and six male patients from couples diagnosed with primary idiopathic or mild male factor infertility were included. Correlations between BMI and semen parameters according to ZB test indices were assessed, together with frequencies of positive and negative tests across the BMI categories. In this selected population, BMI was not related to conventional semen parameters or sperm quality assessed according to the ability of spermatozoa to bind to the zona pellucida. The previously described poor outcomes of IVF procedures in cases of male obesity could be due to other sperm defects, such as alterations of sperm capacitation or acrosome reaction. The link between male BMI and biological outcomes during IVF procedures, such as fertilization rates, should be further evaluated.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals in mixture and obesity,diabetes and related metabolic disorders

Obesity and associated metabolic disorders represent a major societal challenge in health and quality of life with large psychological consequences in addition to physical disabilities. They are also one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Although, different etiologic factors including excessive food intake and reduced physical activity have been well identified, they cannot explain the kinetics of epidemic evolution of obesity and diabetes with prevalence rates reaching pandemic proportions. Interestingly, convincing data have shown that environmental pollutants, specifically those endowed with endocrine disrupting activities, could contribute to the etiology of these multifactorial metabolic disorders. Within this review, we will recapitulate characteristics of endocrine disruption. We will demonstrate that metabolic disorders could originate from endocrine disruption with a particular focus on convincing data from the literature. Eventually, we will present how handling an original mouse model of chronic exposition to a mixture of pollutants allowed demonstrating that a mixture of pollutants each at doses beyond their active dose could induce substantial deleterious effects on several metabolic end-points. This proof-of-concept study, as well as other studies on mixtures of pollutants, stresses the needs for revisiting the current threshold model used in risk assessment which does not take into account potential effects of mixtures containing pollutants at environmental doses, e.g., the real life exposure. Certainly, more studies are necessary to better determine the nature of the chemicals to which humans are exposed and at which level, and their health impact. As well, research studies on substitute products are essential to identify harmless molecules.

Mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes allow adaptation of mitochondrial metabolism to glucose availability in the liver

Mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes(MAM)play a key role in mitochondrial dynamics and function and in hepatic insulin action.Whereas mitochondria are important regulators of energy metabolism,the nutritional regulation of MAM in the liver and its role in the adaptation of mitochondria physiology to nutrient availability are unknown.In this study,we found that the fasted to postprandial transition reduced the number of endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contact points in mouse liver.Screening of potential hormonal/metabolic signals revealed glucose as the main nutritional regulator of hepatic MAM integrity both in vitro and in vivo.Glucose reduced organelle interactions through the pentose phosphate-protein phosphatase 2A(PP-PP2A)pathway,induced mitochondria fission,and impaired respiration.Blocking MAM reduction counteracted glucose-induced mitochondrial alterations.Furthermore,disruption of MAM integrity mimicked effects of glucose on mitochondria dynamics and function.This glucose-sensing system is deficient in the liver of insulin-resistant ob/ob and cyclophilin D-KO mice,both characterized by chronic disruption of MAM integrity,mitochondrial fission,and altered mitochondrial respiration.These data indicate that MAM contribute to the hepatic glucose-sensing system,allowing regulation of mitochondria dynamics and function during nutritional transition.Chronic disruption of MAM may participate in hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction associated with insulin resistance.

Chinese student donors could be a reference population when monitoring sperm quality

They have made a good description of a well-defined and homogenous population, with a sample of included donors that was quite large. This population was interesting since it involved young men for whom fertility status is mostly unknown. Indeed, most of the previously published studies focus on male partners of infertile couples or on fertile sperm donors. In this population, they found that the sperm quality was not optimal, with 3.4% and 0.5% of those young donors presenting oligozoospermia and azoospermia, respectively.

The lncRNA APOLO interacts with the transcription factor WRKY42 to trigger root hair cell expansion in response to cold

Plant long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs)have emerged as important regulators of chromatin dynamics,impacting on transcriptional programs leading to different developmental outputs.The lncRNA AUXIN-REGULATED PROMOTER LOOP(APOLO)directly recognizes multiple independent loci across the Arabidopsis genome and modulates their three-dimensional chromatin conformation,leading to transcriptional shifts.Here,we show that APOLO recognizes the locus encoding the root hair(RH)master regulator ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE 6(RHD6)and controls RHD6 transcriptional activity,leading to cold-enhanced RH elongation through the consequent activation of the transcription factor gene RHD6-like RSL4.Furthermore,we demonstrate that APOLO interacts with the transcription factor WRKY42 and modulates its binding to the RHD6 promoter.WRKY42 is required for the activation of RHD6 by low temperatures and WRKY42 deregulation impairs cold-induced RH expansion.Collectively,our results indicate that a novel ribonucleoprotein complex with APOLO and WRKY42 forms a regulatory hub to activate RHD6 by shaping its epigenetic environment and integrate signals governing RH growth and development.