scholarly journals The role of seminal plasma extracellular vesicles in changes in the morphofunctional characteristics of human spermatozoa

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
A.P. Sysoeva ◽  
◽  
N.P. Makarova ◽  
E.E. Kraevaya ◽  
◽  
...  

For a long time, the role of seminal plasma during human fertilization remained underestimated. Numerous studies related to the development of different methods for human embryo in vitro cultivation were gener-ally concerned with the quality of male and female gametes. However, in recent years, the development of Omix technologies provided a new insight into great seminal plasma influence on the morphofunctional characteristics of spermatozoa. This is especially true for the regulatory function of extracellular vesicles secreted by male reproductive tract cells. In this work, we attempted to analyze current data on the influence of extracellular seminal plasma vesicles on the morphofunctional characteristics of spermatozoa to solve male infertility topical issues. The review includes studies by foreign and Russian research groups that werу conducted within the past 5 years and found in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases. Very few studies demonstrate that seminal plasma vesicles act as functional regulators of male fertility and their dysfunction may lead to infertility. The use of seminal plasma extracellular vesicles in clinical practice may significantly increase the success of IVF programs, especially in impaired spermatogenesis. Keywords: extracellular vesicles, exosomes, biomarkers, seminal plasma, spermatozoa, assisted reproductive technology, cell biology, morphology

Author(s):  
Jonathon A Ditlev

Abstract Liquid‒liquid phase separation (LLPS) of biomolecules has emerged as an important mechanism that contributes to cellular organization. Phase separated biomolecular condensates, or membrane-less organelles, are compartments composed of specific biomolecules without a surrounding membrane in the nucleus and cytoplasm. LLPS also occurs at membranes, where both lipids and membrane-associated proteins can de-mix to form phase separated compartments. Investigation of these membrane-associated condensates using in vitro biochemical reconstitution and cell biology has provided key insights into the role of phase separation in membrane domain formation and function. However, these studies have generally been limited by available technology to study LLPS on model membranes and the complex cellular environment that regulates condensate formation, composition, and function. Here, I briefly review our current understanding of membrane-associated condensates, establish why LLPS can be advantageous for certain membrane-associated condensates, and offer a perspective for how these condensates may be studied in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Zhao ◽  
Tao Zheng ◽  
Wenbin Gong ◽  
Jie Wu ◽  
Haohao Xie ◽  
...  

AbstractCrohn’s disease (CD) is an intestinal immune-dysfunctional disease. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed particles full of functional molecules, e.g., nuclear acids. Recently, EVs have been shown to participate in the development of CD by realizing intercellular communication among intestinal cells. However, the role of EVs carrying double-strand DNA (dsDNA) shed from sites of intestinal inflammation in CD has not been investigated. Here we isolated EVs from the plasma or colon lavage of murine colitis and CD patients. The level of exosomal dsDNA, including mtDNA and nDNA, significantly increased in murine colitis and active human CD, and was positively correlated with the disease activity. Moreover, the activation of the STING pathway was verified in CD. EVs from the plasma of active human CD triggered STING activation in macrophages in vitro. EVs from LPS-damaged colon epithelial cells were also shown to raise inflammation in macrophages via activating the STING pathway, but the effect disappeared after the removal of exosomal dsDNA. These findings were further confirmed in STING-deficient mice and macrophages. STING deficiency significantly ameliorated colitis. Besides, potential therapeutic effects of GW4869, an inhibitor of EVs release were assessed. The application of GW4869 successfully ameliorated murine colitis by inhibiting STING activation. In conclusion, exosomal dsDNA was found to promote intestinal inflammation via activating the STING pathway in macrophages and act as a potential mechanistic biomarker and therapeutic target of CD.


Reproduction ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouneh Maraghechi ◽  
László Hiripi ◽  
Gábor Tóth ◽  
Babett Bontovics ◽  
Zsuzsanna Bősze ◽  
...  

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate multiple biological processes. Increasing experimental evidence implies an important regulatory role of miRNAs during embryonic development and in embryonic stem (ES) cell biology. In the current study, we have described and analyzed the expression profile of pluripotency-associated miRNAs in rabbit embryos and ES-like cells. The rabbit specific ocu-miR-302 and ocu-miR-290 clusters, and three homologs of the human C19MC cluster (ocu-miR-512, ocu-miR-520e, and ocu-miR-498) were identified in rabbit preimplantation embryos and ES-like cells. The ocu-miR-302 cluster was highly similar to its human homolog, while ocu-miR-290 revealed a low level of evolutionary conservation with its mouse homologous cluster. The expression of the ocu-miR-302 cluster began at the 3.5 days post-coitum early blastocyst stage and they stayed highly expressed in rabbit ES-like cells. In contrast, a high expression level of the ocu-miR-290 cluster was detected during preimplantation embryonic development, but a low level of expression was found in rabbit ES-like cells. Differential expression of the ocu-miR-302 cluster and ocu-miR-512 miRNA was detected in rabbit trophoblast and embryoblast. We also found that Lefty has two potential target sites in its 3′UTR for ocu-miR-302a and its expression level increased upon ocu-miR-302a inhibition. We suggest that the expression of the ocu-miR-302 cluster is characteristic of the rabbit ES-like cell, while the ocu-miR-290 cluster may play a crucial role during early embryonic development. This study presents the first identification, to our knowledge, of pluripotency-associated miRNAs in rabbit preimplantation embryos and ES-like cells, which can open up new avenues to investigate the regulatory function of ocu-miRNAs in embryonic development and stem cell biology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Yang ◽  
Xinan Pan ◽  
Xiaorui Zhao ◽  
Jin Luo ◽  
Mingpu Xu ◽  
...  

Background. Autophagy is a catabolic process that depends on the lysosome. It is usually used to maintain cellular homeostasis, survival and development by degrading abnormal substances and dysfunctional organelles, especially when the cell is exposed to starvation or other stresses. Increasing studies have reported that autophagy is associated with various eye diseases, of which aging is one of the important factors. Objective. To summarize the functional and regulatory role of autophagy in ocular diseases with aging, and discuss the possibility of autophagy-targeted therapy in age-related diseases. Methods. PubMed searches were performed to identify relevant articles published mostly in the last 5 years. The key words were used to retrieve including “autophagy”, “aging”, “oxidative stress AND autophagy”, “dry eye AND autophagy”, “corneal disease AND autophagy”, “glaucoma AND autophagy”, “cataract AND autophagy”, “AMD AND autophagy”, “cardiovascular diseases AND autophagy”, “diabetes AND autophagy”. After being classified and assessed, the most relevant full texts in English were chosen. Results. Apart from review articles, more than two research articles for each age-related eye diseases related to autophagy were retrieved. We only included the most relevant and recent studies for summary and discussion. Conclusion. Autophagy has both protective and detrimental effects on the progress of age-related eye diseases. Different types of studies based on certain situations in vitro showed distinct results, which do not necessarily coincide with the actual situation in human bodies completely. It means the exact role and regulatory function of autophagy in ocular diseases remains largely unknown. Although autophagy as a potential therapeutic target has been proposed, many problems still need to be solved before it applies to clinical practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 1087
Author(s):  
Manuela Donalisio ◽  
Simona Cirrincione ◽  
Massimo Rittà ◽  
Cristina Lamberti ◽  
Andrea Civra ◽  
...  

Breast milk is a complex biofluid that nourishes infants, supports their growth and protects them from diseases. However, at the same time, breastfeeding is a transmission route for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), with preterm infants being at a great risk of congenital disease. The discrepancy between high HCMV transmission rates and the few reported cases of infants with severe clinical illness is likely due to the protective effect of breast milk. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-HCMV activity of human preterm colostrum and clarify the role of colostrum-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). Preterm colostrum samples were collected and the EVs were purified and characterized. The in vitro anti-HCMV activity of both colostrum and EVs was tested against HCMV, and the viral replication step inhibited by colostrum-purified EVs was examined. We investigated the putative role EV surface proteins play in impairing HCMV infection using shaving experiments and proteomic analysis. The obtained results confirmed the antiviral action of colostrum against HCMV and demonstrated a remarkable antiviral activity of colostrum-derived EVs. Furthermore, we demonstrated that EVs impair the attachment of HCMV to cells, with EV surface proteins playing a role in mediating this action. These findings contribute to clarifying the mechanisms that underlie the protective role of human colostrum against HCMV infection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (17) ◽  
pp. 5951
Author(s):  
Laura Patras ◽  
Marcel H. A. M. Fens ◽  
Pieter Vader ◽  
Arjan Barendrecht ◽  
Alina Sesarman ◽  
...  

Extracellular vesicles (EV) secreted in the tumour microenvironment (TME) are emerging as major antagonists of anticancer therapies by orchestrating the therapeutic outcome through altering the behaviour of recipient cells. Recent evidence suggested that chemotherapeutic drugs could be responsible for the EV-mediated tumour–stroma crosstalk associated with cancer cell drug resistance. Here, we investigated the capacity of tumour EV (TEV) secreted by normoxic and hypoxic (1% oxygen) C26 cancer cells after doxorubicin (DOX) treatment to alter the response of naïve C26 cells and RAW 264.7 macrophages to DOX. We observed that C26 cells were less responsive to DOX treatment under normoxia compared to hypoxia, and a minimally cytotoxic DOX concentration that mounted distinct effects on cell viability was selected for TEV harvesting. Homotypic and heterotypic pretreatment of naïve hypoxic cancer and macrophage-like cells with normoxic DOX-elicited TEV rendered these cells slightly less responsive to DOX treatment. The observed effects were associated with strong hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) induction and B-cell lymphoma–extra-large anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-xL)-mediated anti-apoptotic response in normoxic DOX-treated TEV donor cells, being also tightly connected to the DOX-TEV-mediated HIF-1α induction, as well as Bcl-xL levels increasing in recipient cells. Altogether, our results could open new perspectives for investigating the role of chemotherapy-elicited TEV in the colorectal cancer TME and their modulatory actions on promoting drug resistance.


2010 ◽  
Vol 391 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nashmil Emami ◽  
Eleftherios P. Diamandis

Abstract Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) has been implicated as a key contributor of immunosuppression in seminal plasma. The biochemical mechanisms that lead to production of active seminal TGFβ1 are not fully understood. It is plausible that TGFβ1 activation is partly induced simultaneously with the release of motile spermatozoa following liquefaction of the semen coagulum. Several members of the kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK) family are involved in the regulation of semen liquefaction. This study examines the involvement of these KLKs in TGFβ1 activation in vitro and ex vivo, in seminal plasma. Latent TGFβ1 was rapidly activated by KLK14. The latency-associated propeptide (LAP) was shown to be cleaved by KLK14 into small peptide fragments, providing a possible mechanism for TGFβ1 activation. KLK14 also cleaved the latent TGFβ binding protein 1 (LTBP1). KLK1, 2, and 5 might also contribute to TGFβ1 activation by nicking the LAP motif and inducing conformational changes that aid in subsequent processing of LAP or through LTBP1 cleavage. Our study provides strong evidence for the involvement of multiple members of the seminal KLK cascade in activation of latent TGFβ1 in seminal plasma. These findings might have clinical implications in infertility treatment of cases with concurrent delayed liquefaction and TGFβ1-related semen antigenicity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 886-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riyaz A. Mir ◽  
Aditya Bele ◽  
Sameer Mirza ◽  
Shashank Srivastava ◽  
Appolinaire A. Olou ◽  
...  

Ecdysoneless (ECD) is an evolutionarily conserved protein whose germ line deletion is embryonic lethal. Deletion ofEcdin cells causes cell cycle arrest, which is rescued by exogenousECD, demonstrating a requirement ofECDfor normal mammalian cell cycle progression. However, the exact mechanism by which ECD regulates cell cycle is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that ECD protein levels and subcellular localization are invariant during cell cycle progression, suggesting a potential role of posttranslational modifications or protein-protein interactions. Since phosphorylated ECD was recently shown to interact with the PIH1D1 adaptor component of the R2TP cochaperone complex, we examined the requirement of ECD phosphorylation in cell cycle progression. Notably, phosphorylation-deficient ECD mutants that failed to bind to PIH1D1in vitrofully retained the ability to interact with the R2TP complex and yet exhibited a reduced ability to rescueEcd-deficient cells from cell cycle arrest. Biochemical analyses demonstrated an additional phosphorylation-independent interaction of ECD with the RUVBL1 component of the R2TP complex, and this interaction is essential for ECD's cell cycle progression function. These studies demonstrate that interaction of ECD with RUVBL1, and its CK2-mediated phosphorylation, independent of its interaction with PIH1D1, are important for its cell cycle regulatory function.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nawaz ◽  
Farah Fatima ◽  
Krishna C. Vallabhaneni ◽  
Patrice Penfornis ◽  
Hadi Valadi ◽  
...  

Stem cells are proposed to continuously secrete trophic factors that potentially serve as mediators of autocrine and paracrine activities, associated with reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment, tissue regeneration, and repair. Hitherto, significant efforts have been made to understand the level of underlying paracrine activities influenced by stem cell secreted trophic factors, as little is known about these interactions. Recent findings, however, elucidate this role by reporting the effects of stem cell derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) that mimic the phenotypes of the cells from which they originate. Exchange of genetic information utilizing persistent bidirectional communication mediated by stem cell-EVs could regulate stemness, self-renewal, and differentiation in stem cells and their subpopulations. This review therefore discusses stem cell-EVs as evolving communication factors in stem cell biology, focusing on how they regulate cell fates by inducing persistent and prolonged genetic reprogramming of resident cells in a paracrine fashion. In addition, we address the role of stem cell-secreted vesicles in shaping the tumor microenvironment and immunomodulation and in their ability to stimulate endogenous repair processes during tissue damage. Collectively, these functions ensure an enormous potential for future therapies.


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