Sperm mRNAs and microRNAs as candidate markers for the impact of toxicants on human spermatogenesis: an application to tobacco smoking
Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Spermatozoa contain a complex population of RNAs including messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and small RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNA). It has been reported that these RNAs can be used to understand the mechanisms by which toxicological exposure affects spermatogenesis. The aim of our study was to compare mRNA and miRNA profiles in spermatozoa from eight smokers and eight non-smokers, and search for potential relationships between mRNA and miRNA variation. All men were selected based on their answers to a standard toxic exposure questionnaire, and sperm parameters. Using mRNA and miRNA microarrays, we showed that mRNAs from 15 genes were differentially represented between smokers and non-smokers (p<0.01): five had higher levels and 10 lower levels in the smokers. For the microRNAs, 23 were differentially represented: 16 were higher and seven lower in the smokers (0.004≤p<0.01). Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the lower levels in smokers compared to non-smokers for hsa-miR-296-5p, hsa-miR-3940, and hsa-miR-520d-3p. Moreover, we observed an inverse relationship between the levels of microRNAs and six potential target mRNAs (B3GAT3, HNRNPL, OASL, ODZ3, CNGB1, and PKD2). Our results indicate that alterations in the level of a small number of microRNAs in response to smoking may contribute to changes in mRNA expression in smokers. We conclude that large-scale analysis of spermatozoa RNAs can be used to help understand the mechanisms by which human spermatogenesis responds to toxic substances including those in tobacco smoke.
Authors: Catherine Metzler-Guillemain, Genevieve Victorero, Cyrille Lepoivre, Aurélie Bergon, Miriam Yammine, Jeanne Perrin, Irene Sari-Minodier, Nicolas Boulanger, Pascal Rihet, Cathy Nguyen
Institutions: Inserm, Aix-Marseille Université, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille, Hôpital de la Conception, Theories and Approaches of Genomic Complexity, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale, Hôpital de la Timone
Language: English
Subfield: Reproductive Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2005106178