Seminal plasma microRNAs: potential biomarkers for spermatogenesis status. Mol Hum Reprod 2012 Oct;18(10):489-97
Date
06/08/2012Pubmed ID
22675043DOI
10.1093/molehr/gas022Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84867125392 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 115 CitationsAbstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (18-25 nt), playing important regulatory roles via interaction with cellular messenger RNAs. The altered expression of miRNAs in specific tissues has been associated with diseases such as cancer and diabetes. We examined the presence of two selected miRNAs (miR-19b and let-7a) in human seminal plasma from fertile men and idiopathic infertile patients with oligozoospermia and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) using quantitative real-time PCR. We detected miRNAs in the seminal plasma of humans. The levels of miRNAs in the seminal plasma were reproducible in repeat samples from the same individuals. In addition, we examined the expression patterns of two selected miRNAs in 96 idiopathic infertile males (48 oligozoospermia and 48 NOA) and 48 fertile controls. Another 48 individuals of each group were used for verification. Our data showed that the expression levels of these two miRNAs in the seminal plasma significantly increased in idiopathic infertile males with NOA compared with fertile controls, whereas the expression levels were similar between idiopathic infertile males with oligozoospermia and fertile controls. In conclusion our results indicate that the expression of miR-19b and let-7a in the seminal plasma are reproducible and stable. Aberrant over-expression levels of miR-19b and let-7a may be an indicator of spermatogenic failure.
Author List
Wu W, Hu Z, Qin Y, Dong J, Dai J, Lu C, Zhang W, Shen H, Xia Y, Wang XAuthor
Jing Dong PhD Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAzoospermia
Biomarkers
Humans
Infertility, Male
Male
MicroRNAs
Oligospermia
Semen
Spermatogenesis
