Interplay between p53 and Ink4c in spermatogenesis and fertility

The tumor suppressor p53, and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Ink4c, have been both implicated in spermatogenesis control. Both p53-/- and Ink4c-/- single knockout male mice are fertile, despite testicular hypertrophy, Leydig cell differentiation defect, and increased sperm count in Ink4c-/- males. To investigate their collaborative roles, we studied p53-/- Ink4c-/- dual knockout animals, and found that male p53-/- Ink4c-/- mice have profoundly reduced fertility. Dual knockout male mice show a marked decrease in sperm count, abnormal sperm morphology and motility, prolongation of spermatozoa proliferation and delay of meiosis entry, and accumulation of DNA damage. Genetic studies showed that the effects of p53 loss on fertility are independent of its downstream effector Cdkn1a. Absence of p53 also partially reverses the hyperplasia seen upon Ink4c loss, and normalizes the Leydig cell differentiation defect. These results implicate p53 in mitigating both the delayed entry into meiosis and the secondary apoptotic response that occur in the absence of Ink4c. We conclude that the cell cycle genes p53 and Ink4c collaborate in sperm cell development and differentiation, and may be important candidates to investigate in human male infertility conditions.