BACKGROUND MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing, which are involved in multiple developmental processes in many organisms. Apart from miRNAs, mouse germ cells express another type of small RNA, piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Although it has been clear that piRNAs play a role in repression of retrotransposons during spermatogenesi...

A detailed understanding of the hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis is required for the informed assessment and management of male fertility and, conversely, for the development of safe and reversible male hormonal contraception. An approach to the study of these issues is outlined based on the use of well-defined in vivo models of gonadotropin/androgen deprivation and replacement, the quant...

Spermatogenesis is a dynamic developmental process that includes stem cell proliferation and differentiation, meiotic cell divisions and extreme chromatin condensation. Although studied in mice, the molecular control of human spermatogenesis is largely unknown. Here, we developed a protocol that enables next-generation sequencing of RNA obtained from pools of 500 individually laser-capture micr...

The azoopsermia factor c (AZFc) region of human Y-chromosome is an essential genomic segment for spermatogenesis with frequent non-allele homologous recombination (NAHR). Recent case-control studies on the association of the NAHR-based AZFc structural mutations with spermatogenic failure produced inconsistent results. To more precisely evaluate their spermatogenesis effects, we investigated the...

Testicular cell apoptosis is associated with impaired spermatogenesis. It has been reported that Asiatic acid (AA) may suppress apoptosis. However, little is known about the effect of AA on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced impairment of spermatogenesis. The aim of the present study was to determine whether AA protects against HFD-induced impairment of spermatogenesis. Sprague-Dawley rats were random...

BACKGROUND Epigenetic regulation by diverse classes of small RNAs is mediated by the highly conserved Argonaute/Piwi family of proteins. Although Argonautes are broadly expressed, the Piwi subfamily primarily functions in the germ line. Piwi proteins are associated with germline-specific ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules in Drosophila, zebrafish, and mouse. Depending on the species and on the sp...

Mammalian spermatogenesis is a highly regulated system dedicated to the continuous production of spermatozoa from spermatogonial stem cells, and the process largely depends on microenvironments created by Sertoli cells, unique somatic cells that reside within a seminiferous tubule. Spermatogenesis progresses with a cyclical program known as the "seminiferous epithelial cycle," which is accompan...