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Updated: Aug 19, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Male Infertility Research by Unraveling Sperm Metabolism and Mitochondrial Function
Published on: June 23, 2023
Mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase function is essential for sperm motility and male fertility
Rachel M Woodhouse1,2, Natalya Frolows1,3, Guoqiang Wang4
1The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Abstract:
Mitochondrial health is crucial to sperm quality and male fertility, but the precise role of mitochondria in sperm function remains unclear. SDHA is a component of the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) complex and plays a critical role in mitochondria. In humans, SDH activity is positively correlated with sperm quality, and mutations in SDHA are associated with Leigh Syndrome. Here we report that the C. elegans SDHA orthologue SDHA-2 is essential for male fertility: sdha-2 mutants produce dramatically fewer offspring due to defective sperm activation and motility, have hyperfused sperm mitochondria, and disrupted redox balance. Similar sperm motility defects in sdha-1 and icl-1 mutant animals suggest an imbalance in metabolites may underlie the fertility defect. Our results demonstrate a role for SDHA-2 in sperm motility and male reproductive health and establish an animal model of SDH deficiency-associated infertility.
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