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Sodium-Hydrogen-Exchanger expression in human sperm and its relationship with semen parameters

  • Gamete Biology
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Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Sperm-specific sodium-hydrogen exchanger (sNHE) is essential to maintain sperm normal function in mice; however, its role in human sperm has not been clarified to date. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression pattern of sNHE in human spermatozoa and its relationship with sperm functional parameters.

Method

Semen samples from 68 asthenozoospermic and 61 normozoospermic men were analyzed for sperm concentration, motility, and acrosome reaction, and high motile spermatozoa were collected by swim-up method. The expression of sNHE in spermatozoa was detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. The relationship between sNHE expression and sperm parameters was assessed.

Results

We identified sNHE is mainly localized to the principal piece of the human sperm tail. The expression of sNHE was positively correlated with sperm concentration, total number, and progressive motility. Moreover, sNHE expression was upregulated in swim-up sperm and associated with most of sperm motility parameters including straight line velocity and curvilinear velocity. Our results also showed that sNHE expression is decreased in sperm from patients with asthenozoospermia compared with that from normal controls. However, no correlation was found between sNHE expression and acrosome reaction in spermatozoa.

Conclusions

The expression pattern of sNHE suggested that this protein may be involved in the regulation of sperm motility, and aberration of its expression in sperm may contribute to the pathogenesis of asthenozoospermia.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Peking University 985 Clinical Hospital Cooperation Program to Hui Jiang.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China

    Zhe Zhang, Yuzhuo Yang, Han Wu, Haitao Zhang, Lianming Zhao, Haocheng Lin, Wenhao Tang, Kai Hong & Hui Jiang

  2. Department of Human Sperm Bank, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China

    Hongliang Zhang

  3. Department of Reproductive Medicine Center, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China

    Jiaming Mao & Defeng Liu

Authors
  1. Zhe Zhang
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  2. Yuzhuo Yang
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  3. Han Wu
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  10. Wenhao Tang
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  11. Kai Hong
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  12. Hui Jiang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hui Jiang.

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The study was approved by the Ethical Committee and conducted according to the Helsinki Declaration. Every subject was fully informed of the purpose of the study and provided informed consent before the research.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Zhang, Z., Yang, Y., Wu, H. et al. Sodium-Hydrogen-Exchanger expression in human sperm and its relationship with semen parameters. J Assist Reprod Genet 34, 795–801 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-017-0898-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-017-0898-2

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