Zhao Zhongyi, Yang Tingting, Li Fuping
Department of Andrology/Sichuan Human Sperm Bank, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China.
Department of Andrology/Sichuan Human Sperm Bank, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China.
Reprod Biomed Online. 2024 Dec;49(6):104375. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2024.104375. Epub 2024 Jul 10.
Spermatozoa are traditionally thought to be transcriptionally inert, but recent studies have revealed the presence of sperm RNA, some of which is derived from the residues of spermatocyte transcription and some from epididymosomes. Paternal sperm RNA can be affected by external factors and further modified at the post-transcriptional level, for example N-methyladenosine (mA), thus shaping spermatogenesis and reproductive outcome. This review briefly introduces the origin of sperm RNA and, on this basis, summarizes the current knowledge on RNA modifications and their functional role in spermatogenesis and male infertility. The bottlenecks and knowledge gaps in the current research on RNA modification in male reproduction have also been indicated. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the functional consequences of these modifications, providing new therapeutic and preventive strategies for reproductive health and genetic inheritance.
传统上认为精子是转录惰性的，但最近的研究表明精子中存在RNA，其中一些来自精母细胞转录的残余物，另一些来自附睾小体。父本精子RNA会受到外部因素的影响，并在转录后水平进一步修饰，例如N-甲基腺苷（mA），从而塑造精子发生和生殖结果。本文简要介绍了精子RNA的起源，并在此基础上总结了目前关于RNA修饰及其在精子发生和男性不育中的功能作用的知识。还指出了当前男性生殖RNA修饰研究中的瓶颈和知识空白。需要进一步研究以阐明这些修饰的功能后果，为生殖健康和遗传继承提供新的治疗和预防策略。
