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miR-106b-5p Intensifies the Proliferative Potential of Spermatogonial Stem Cells as a Prerequisite for Male Infertility Treatment

  • Reproductive Biology: Original Article
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Abstract

Although numerous studies have investigated the molecular basis of male infertility, various aspects of this area have remained uncovered. Over the past years, researchers have reported the significant potential of miRNAs in posttranscriptional regulatory roles. By targeting mRNAs, these notable molecules can modulate the processes related to male infertility. On the other side, the outstanding potential of male germline stem cells, SSCs, includes their application in infertility treatment. SSCs retain normal spermatogenesis and fertility by adjusting both SSC self-renewal and differentiation. Therefore, for the characterization and manipulation of SSCs, effective and efficient in vitro culture methods are essential in supporting their maintenance and development. In this regard, the present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the impact of one of the recently conspicuous miRNAs, miR-106b, in SSCs enrichment. As a result, we first found that the SSCs induced with miR-106b-5p highly express TGF-β1, which is known as a regulator of epigenetic modifiers and downstream genes. We next sought to show that self-renewal markers, including c-Myc, Oct-4, and Sox2, are increased in the induced SSC group. The intended miRNA also induced the inhibitor of differentiation 4 (ID4) and aided to remain unmethylated in SSCs. Additionally, for the tumorigenicity possibility of the manipulation, we indicated that PTEN, a tumor-suppressor gene, expressed remarkably in the induced SSCs. In conclusion, our findings showed that miR-106b-5p enhances the proliferative potential of SSCs, making it a substantial factor for therapeutic strategies of male infertility.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments and Funding Information

This investigation was financially supported by the Men’s Health & Reproductive Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. We would like to thank the technical staff in Histogenotech company for their assistance with the collection of our data. This study was supported by a research grant from Men’s Health & Reproductive Health Research Center (MHRHRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

Funding

This study was supported by a research grant from Men’s Health & Reproductive Health Research Center (MHRHRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

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Author notes

  1. Amir Hossein Hasani Fard and Mahmoud Valizadeh contirbuted equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Men’s Health and Reproductive Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Amir Hossein Hasani Fard, Mahmoud Valizadeh & Seyed Jalil Hosseini

  2. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Zohreh Mazaheri

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  1. Amir Hossein Hasani Fard
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  2. Mahmoud Valizadeh
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  3. Zohreh Mazaheri
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  4. Seyed Jalil Hosseini
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Contributions

AHF and ZM and SJH proposed the work. AHF performed experimental works and data collection. MV performed bioinformatics work. MV and AHF contributed to article writing and manuscript approving. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seyed Jalil Hosseini.

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All experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and following the Declaration of Helsinki (Approval ID: IR.SBMU.REC1398.073).

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Hasani Fard, A.H., Valizadeh, M., Mazaheri, Z. et al. miR-106b-5p Intensifies the Proliferative Potential of Spermatogonial Stem Cells as a Prerequisite for Male Infertility Treatment. Reprod. Sci. 29, 3394–3403 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-022-00884-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-022-00884-4

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