China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
JAK-STAT pathway: Testicular development, spermatogenesis and fertility
Published in Rajender Singh, Molecular Signaling in Spermatogenesis and Male Infertility, 2019
There are two existing cell populations in Drosophila that include germline and somatic cells. How do these cells achieve sexual identity? In Drosophila somatic cells, male and female identity is defined by counting the ratio of X chromosome to an autosome, where an X/A ratio of 1 indicates normal female and X/A ratio of 0.5 indicates normal male (42). There is a double copy of X-linked signal elements (XSEs) in females as compared to males. These X-linked elements include sisterless-a (sis-a), scute (sis-b), runt (run) which encodes transcription factor and unpaired (sisterless-c) which encodes a secretory ligand (16,42). These double copies of XSEs are important for regulating the transcription of Sxl (sex-lethal) from Sxl-pe (promoter for the establishment) in females. The resultant protein from Sxl-pe regulates its own synthesis from Sxl-pm promoter (promoter for maintenance). Thus, Sex-lethal is turned on only in females. Sxl acts through a transformer (tra) and regulates splicing of doublesex RNA (dsx) in females. But in males, because Sxl is not present, default Splicing of dsx results in males (Figure 15.5). Another ligand, Upd, is considered to be a weak XSE because Upd and other downstream components, such as Hop and STAT92E, in mutational studies had little effect on Sxl expression in females (43–46).
Computational characterization and integrative analysis of proteins involved in spermatogenesis
Published in C. Yan Cheng, Spermatogenesis, 2018
Pranitha Jenardhanan, Manivel Panneerselvam, Premendu P. Mathur
In another study, Djureinovic et al. characterized the testis-specific proteome based on transcriptomics and antibody-based profiling and identified more than 1000 gene products that were testis-specific and further characterized them based on their location, such as in spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids, sperm, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells.43 The results reveal that doublesex- and mab-3-related transcription factor 1 (DMRT1) and P antigen family member 1 (PAGE1) are specific to spermatogonia. DMRT1 protein is involved in male sex determination and differentiation,44 while the function of PAGE1 is unknown. Similarly, the deleted-in-azoospermia-like (DAZL) gene product was reported to show high enrichment in spermatocytes, while the transition protein 1 (TNP1) gene and sperm mitochondria-associated cysteine-rich protein (SMCP) and actin-like protein 7B (ACTL7B) were specific to spermatid. Meanwhile, defensin, beta 119 (DEFB119) was found to be specific to Sertoli cell, the A kinase (PRKA) anchor protein 4 (AKAP4) was specific to Sertoli cell and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDHS) gene products are specific to sperm. These findings provide useful insights into understanding the proteomic signature of testis.
She’s got nerve: roles of octopamine in insect female reproduction
Published in Journal of Neurogenetics, 2021
Melissa A. White, Dawn S. Chen, Mariana F. Wolfner
The coordination of gamete movement with female mating status is made possible by neurons innervating the RT. OA neurons with cell bodies in the abdominal ganglion project to the RT through branches of the abdominal nerve trunk (Figure 2(B)) (Middleton et al., 2006; Monastirioti, 2003; Rezával et al., 2014; Rodríguez-Valentín et al., 2006). They extensively innervate different regions of the RT and form type II neuromuscular junctions, which are typically associated with neurohormonal release (Atwood & Klose, 2009; Avila, Bloch Qazi, Rubinstein, & Wolfner, 2012; Kapelnikov, Rivlin, Hoy, & Heifetz, 2008; Middleton et al., 2006; Rodríguez-Valentín et al., 2006). In D. melanogaster, approximately nine OA neurons that co-express the sex determination marker doublesex (dsx; henceforth Tdc2+ dsx+ neurons) constitute this population of OA neurons. It is worth nothing that these Tdc2+ dsx+ neurons are sexually dimorphic, with males having only three Tdc2+ dsx+ neurons (Rezával et al., 2014). Mating induces an increase in intracellular Ca2+ in Tdc2+ dsx+ cell bodies and increases the electrical activity of these neurons (Yoshinari et al., 2020). In L. migratoria, branches of the terminal (VIIIth) abdominal ganglion innervate different regions of the female RT, and some innervations are octopaminergic (Clark & Lange, 2003).
Can Plasmodium’s tricks for enhancing its transmission be turned against the parasite? New hopes for vector control
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2019
S. Noushin Emami, Melika Hajkazemian, Raimondas Mozūraitis
A genetics-based population suppression and elimination approach is yet another strategy which might provide a better control to vector-borne diseases. In this system, the main problem is the means of driving a refractory construct quickly and efficiently through the vector mosquito population so that the population of susceptible mosquitoes will be replaced. Transposable elements (TEs) were one of the first gene drive systems to gain widespread attention for population replacement [94]. These elements are able to spread quickly through a population due to their ability to replicate within a host genome and hence to be inherited more frequently in the offspring’s genome. This increase in inheritance enables TEs to spread even in the presence of a fitness cost to the host [95]. One note, new techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive targeting doublesex have also been reported a complete population suppression in caged An. gambiae mosquitoes [96]. Obviously, there is some doubts about the potential success of this strategy in malaria-endemic regions, where harboring a resistance allele will only be a piece of the complex puzzle of pathogen–vector interactions. Apart from the undeniable social and ethical issues associated with the release of genetically modified organisms [97], transgenic mosquitoes might still be considered as a realistic strategy for malaria control. The vigorous and technologically cutting-edge effort to produce a vaccine against malaria over the past four decades has yet to yield a useful product [98].
Update on the proteomics of male infertility: A systematic review
Published in Arab Journal of Urology, 2018
Manesh Kumar Panner Selvam, Ashok Agarwal
Fertility preservation has become an essential process in patients being treated for cancer. Generally, sperm concentration is low in ∼50% of patients with testicular cancer and 40% of patients with Hodgkin’s disease. Infertility is one of the noted side-effects of cancer treatment. Cancer treatment causes severe damage to the gonads and DNA of germ cells, thus affecting the fertilisation process. Cancers related to the reproductive system not only decrease the immunity of the system, but also have harmful effects on spermatogenesis [71]. Analysis of human testicular tissue using 2D-high-performance liquid chromatography–MS/MS detected that out of 7346 proteins, transmembrane protease, serine 12 (TMPRSS12); tubulin polymerisation promoting protein family member 2 (TPPP2); protease, serine 55 (PRSS55); doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (DMRT1); piwi-like RNA-mediated gene silencing 1 (PIWIL1), and hemogen (HEMGN) were associated with cancer [72]. Our laboratory was the first to identify 398 DEPs [including the overexpression of PSA, prostatic acid phosphatase (PAcP), zinc α2-glycoprotein (ZAG), and SEMG1 and SEMG2, as well as under expression of A-kinase anchoring protein 4 (AKAP4) and dynein axonemal heavy chain 17 (DNAH17)] in patients with testicular cancer using a global proteomic approach. Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative phosphorylation, and tricarboxylic acid cycle were the major pathways dysregulated in the spermatozoa of patients with testicular cancer [73].