Hsa-miR-27a-3p overexpression in men with nonobstructive azoospermia: A case-control study

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Molecular Endocrinology
• Genetics of Male Infertility

Background:

• KDM3A and its downstream genes are implicated in male fertility, with KDM3A expression linked to azoospermia.
• Aberrant micro-RNA expression can disrupt spermatogenesis, contributing to male infertility.
• Previous studies in animal models established the role of KDM3A in male fertility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression level of hsa-miR-27a-3p in azoospermic men.
• To determine the potential association between hsa-miR-27a-3p and male infertility.
• To explore the relationship between hsa-miR-27a-3p and KDM3A in the context of azoospermia.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 30 azoospermic men (19 non-obstructive azoospermia [NOA], 11 obstructive azoospermia [OA]).
• Bioinformatics analysis to identify candidate micro-RNAs, selecting hsa-miR-27a-3p.
• Reverse Transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to quantify hsa-miR-27a-3p expression.
• Statistical analysis to compare expression levels between OA and NOA groups.

Main Results:

• In silico analysis revealed hsa-miR-27a-3p's potential to target KDM3A transcripts.
• Expression analysis demonstrated significant overexpression of hsa-miR-27a-3p in men with NOA.
• hsa-miR-27a-3p was found to be significantly overexpressed in NOA men compared to OA controls.

Conclusions:

• hsa-miR-27a-3p is significantly overexpressed in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients.
• Overexpressed hsa-miR-27a-3p may directly downregulate KDM3A and indirectly TNP1 and PRM1.
• This micro-RNA-mediated downregulation could disrupt spermatogenesis, contributing to male infertility.