Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Department of Urology, Asklepios Klinik Altona, Hamburg, Germany.
Andrology. 2019 Jul;7(4):469-474. doi: 10.1111/andr.12664.
The microRNAs of the miR-371-3 cluster are novel serum markers for testicular germ cell tumors. Sporadic reports suggested the expression of this miRNA in semen.
To verify the expression of miR-371a-3p in seminal plasma and unprocessed ejaculate; to compare seminal plasma miRNA levels in germ cell tumors patients with those of controls; to look for an association of miRNA levels with semen quality.
The miR-371a-3p expression was analyzed with qPCR. The study population consisted of 100 participants: seminal plasma samples from 20 germ cell tumors patients and 30 controls, serum samples from 12 healthy men, ejaculate samples from 38 men undergoing fertility testing.
The seminal plasma miR-371a-3p levels of germ cell tumors patients were not different from controls. The miRNA expression was very low in serum but much higher in seminal plasma. In ejaculate samples, the miRNA expression significantly correlated with sperm concentration and the total sperm count.
miR-371-a-3p is present in sperm-containing fluids. Seminal plasma levels cannot be used to distinguish germ cell tumors from controls. The correlation with sperm concentration in ejaculate samples suggests the spermatozoa as possible source of miR-371a-3p production.
The miR-371a-3p levels in ejaculate could represent a novel biomarker for the non-invasive evaluation of male infertility.
miR-371-3 簇的 microRNAs 是睾丸生殖细胞肿瘤的新型血清标志物。零星报道表明，这种 miRNA 存在于精液中。
验证 miR-371a-3p 在精液和未处理的精液中的表达；比较生殖细胞肿瘤患者和对照组精液中 miRNA 水平；寻找 miRNA 水平与精液质量的相关性。
采用 qPCR 分析 miR-371a-3p 的表达。研究人群包括 100 名参与者：20 名生殖细胞肿瘤患者和 30 名对照组的精液样本，12 名健康男性的血清样本，38 名接受生育力检测的男性的精液样本。
生殖细胞肿瘤患者的精液 miR-371a-3p 水平与对照组无差异。血清中的 miRNA 表达非常低，但在精液中则高得多。在精液样本中，miRNA 表达与精子浓度和总精子数呈显著相关。
miR-371-a-3p 存在于含精子的液体中。精液中的 miRNA 水平不能用于区分生殖细胞肿瘤和对照组。与精液样本中的精子浓度的相关性提示精子可能是 miR-371a-3p 产生的可能来源。
精液中的 miR-371a-3p 水平可能代表一种用于非侵入性评估男性不育的新型生物标志物。
