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Sub-fertile sperm cells exemplify telomere dysfunction.

Tal Biron-Shental1,2, Amir Wiser3,4, Anat Hershko-Klement4,5

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel. shentalt@inter.net.il.

Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics
|September 14, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sub-fertile sperm cells exhibit shorter telomeres and increased telomere aggregates compared to fertile sperm. These telomere abnormalities, potentially linked to the alternative lengthening pathway, may impact sperm fertilizability.

Keywords:
Male sub-fertilitySpermTelomeres

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Telomeres are protective caps at chromosome ends, crucial for genomic stability.
  • Telomere length and maintenance are vital for cell function and organismal health.
  • Understanding telomere dynamics in human sperm is important for reproductive medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare telomere homeostasis between sub-fertile and fertile human sperm.
  • To assess telomere length, telomere aggregates, and telomerase component expression in sperm from men with varying fertility statuses.

Main Methods:

  • An observational study compared 16 sub-fertile men with 10 fertile men.
  • Telomere length and aggregates were quantified in at least 100 sperm cells per participant.
  • Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze telomerase RNA component (TERC) and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT).

Main Results:

  • Sub-fertile sperm showed a higher percentage of short telomeres (3.3% vs. 0.6%) and telomere aggregates (15.12% vs. 4.73%).
  • TERC gene copy number was similar, but hTERT expression was lower in sub-fertile sperm (3.81% vs. 8.42%).
  • Telomere capture rates were significantly elevated in the sub-fertile group.

Conclusions:

  • Sub-fertile human sperm are characterized by shorter telomeres and evidence of telomere elongation via alternative lengthening mechanisms.
  • Dysfunctional telomeres in sperm may play a role in reduced fertilizability.
  • These findings highlight potential molecular targets for improving male fertility.