Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Biol Reprod. 2021 May 7;104(5):1154-1161. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioab024.
Sperm quality is an important indicator of male fertility, and a suitable biomarker enables the selection of high-quality spermatozoa. We previously found that L-amino acid oxidase encoded by the L-amino acid oxidase 1 (Lao1) gene exerts biological roles in the mammary gland and brain by converting specific L-amino acids into keto acids, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Here, we describe the role of Lao1 in male reproduction. Lao1-deficient (Lao1-/-) male mice generated fewer pregnant embryos and pups as well as lower ratios of fertilized oocytes and even ovulated number was not different, suggesting that male subfertility caused the smaller litters. We found that LAO1 expressed in acrosomes is associated with high malformation ratios and low viability of Lao1-/- sperm. Wild-type (WT) sperm produced more H2O2 than Lao1-/- sperm, and 10 μM H2O2 restored knockout (KO) sperm viability in vitro. In addition, the sperm ratio of induced acrosome reaction was higher in WT than in Lao1-/- sperm incubated with the calcium ionophore A23187. Moreover, LAO1 expression was abundant in bovine sperm with high fertilization ratios. We concluded that LAO1 localized in the sperm acrosome influences sperm viability and morphology as well as the acrosome reaction, and that LAO1-deficient sperm might cause male subfertility. Thus, LAO1 might serve as a novel marker for selecting high-quality spermatozoa, especially for livestock reproduction.
精子质量是男性生育能力的一个重要指标,合适的生物标志物可用于选择高质量的精子。我们之前发现,L-氨基酸氧化酶 1(Lao1)基因编码的 L-氨基酸氧化酶通过将特定的 L-氨基酸转化为酮酸、氨和过氧化氢(H2O2),在乳腺和大脑中发挥生物学作用。在这里,我们描述了 Lao1 在男性生殖中的作用。Lao1 缺陷(Lao1-/-)雄性小鼠产生的妊娠胚胎和幼仔较少,受精卵的比例也较低,甚至排卵数量也没有差异,这表明雄性生育力低下导致了幼仔数量减少。我们发现,Lao1 在顶体中表达与 Lao1-/-精子的高畸形率和低活力有关。与 Lao1-/-精子相比,野生型(WT)精子产生的 H2O2 更多,而 10 μM H2O2 可在体外恢复 KO 精子的活力。此外,与 Lao1-/-精子相比,WT 精子在与钙离子载体 A23187 孵育时,诱导顶体反应的精子比例更高。此外,LAO1 在具有高受精率的牛精子中表达丰富。我们得出结论,定位于精子顶体的 LAO1 影响精子活力和形态以及顶体反应,而 Lao1 缺陷的精子可能导致男性生育力低下。因此,LAO1 可能成为选择高质量精子的新型标志物,特别是用于家畜繁殖。