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Decreased protamine-1 transcript levels in testes from infertile men

Klaus Steger1, Ludger Fink, Klaus Failing

  • 1Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Giessen, Germany. Klaus.Steger@vetmed.uni-giessen.de

Molecular Human Reproduction
|May 29, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Male infertility is linked to a lower amount of protamine-1 (Prm1) mRNA, disrupting the Prm1 to protamine-2 (Prm2) ratio. This finding may help predict intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) success.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Andrology

Background:

  • Infertile men often display an abnormal protamine-1 (Prm1) to protamine-2 (Prm2) ratio at both mRNA and protein levels.
  • This aberrant ratio is a potential indicator of impaired male fertility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between the quantity of Prm1 and Prm2 mRNA and male infertility.
  • To determine if Prm1 and Prm2 mRNA levels can predict the success of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Main Methods:

  • Real-time quantitative PCR was used to measure Prm1 and Prm2 mRNA levels.
  • RNA was extracted from routinely Bouin-fixed and paraffin-embedded testicular biopsies (n=51).
  • Samples were normalized for tissue section size and quantity.

Main Results:

  • The amount of Prm1 mRNA was significantly lower in men with impaired spermatogenesis compared to those with obstructive azoospermia and normal spermatogenesis.
  • A significantly decreased Prm1 to Prm2 mRNA threshold cycle difference (deltaC(T)) was observed in infertile groups.
  • A negative correlation was found between spermatogenesis efficiency score and Prm1 mRNA levels.

Conclusions:

  • A decreasing amount of Prm1 mRNA and the resulting aberrant Prm1:Prm2 ratio are significant factors in male infertility.
  • Prm1 mRNA levels may serve as a predictive biomarker for ICSI outcomes in infertile men.

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