Integrative Analysis of Whole-Genome and Transcriptomic Data Reveals Novel Variants in Differentially Expressed Long Noncoding RNAs Associated with Asthenozoospermia.

IF 3.6 Q2 BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Non-Coding RNA Pub Date : 2025-01-14 DOI:10.3390/ncrna11010004

Maria-Anna Kyrgiafini, Maria Katsigianni, Themistoklis Giannoulis, Theologia Sarafidou, Alexia Chatziparasidou, Zissis Mamuris

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Asthenozoospermia, characterized by reduced sperm motility, is a common cause of male infertility. Emerging evidence suggests that noncoding RNAs, particularly long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), play a critical role in the regulation of spermatogenesis and sperm function. Coding regions have a well-characterized role and established predictive value in asthenozoospermia. However, this study was designed to complement previous findings and provide a more holistic understanding of asthenozoospermia, this time focusing on noncoding regions. This study aimed to identify and prioritize variants in differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs found exclusively in asthenozoospermic men, focusing on their impact on lncRNA structure and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions. Methods: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on samples from asthenozoospermic and normozoospermic men. Additionally, an RNA-seq dataset from normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic individuals was analyzed to identify DE lncRNAs. Bioinformatics analyses were conducted to map unique variants on DE lncRNAs, followed by prioritization based on predicted functional impact. The structural impact of the variants and their effects on lncRNA-miRNA interactions were assessed using computational tools. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses were employed to investigate the affected biological processes and pathways. Results: We identified 4173 unique variants mapped to 258 DE lncRNAs. After prioritization, 5 unique variants in 5 lncRNAs were found to affect lncRNA structure, while 20 variants in 17 lncRNAs were predicted to disrupt miRNA-lncRNA interactions. Enriched pathways included Wnt signaling, phosphatase binding, and cell proliferation, all previously implicated in reproductive health. Conclusions: This study identifies specific variants in DE lncRNAs that may play a role in asthenozoospermia. Given the limited research utilizing WGS to explore the role of noncoding RNAs in male infertility, our findings provide valuable insights and a foundation for future studies.

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来源期刊

Non-Coding RNA Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Genetics

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

4.70%

发文量

审稿时长

10 weeks

期刊介绍： Functional studies dealing with identification, structure-function relationships or biological activity of: small regulatory RNAs (miRNAs, siRNAs and piRNAs) associated with the RNA interference pathway small nuclear RNAs, small nucleolar and tRNAs derived small RNAs other types of small RNAs, such as those associated with splice junctions and transcription start sites long non-coding RNAs, including antisense RNAs, long ''intergenic'' RNAs, intronic RNAs and ''enhancer'' RNAs other classes of RNAs such as vault RNAs, scaRNAs, circular RNAs, 7SL RNAs, telomeric and centromeric RNAs regulatory functions of mRNAs and UTR-derived RNAs catalytic and allosteric (riboswitch) RNAs viral, transposon and repeat-derived RNAs bacterial regulatory RNAs, including CRISPR RNAS Analysis of RNA processing, RNA binding proteins, RNA signaling and RNA interaction pathways: DICER AGO, PIWI and PIWI-like proteins other classes of RNA binding and RNA transport proteins RNA interactions with chromatin-modifying complexes RNA interactions with DNA and other RNAs the role of RNA in the formation and function of specialized subnuclear organelles and other aspects of cell biology intercellular and intergenerational RNA signaling RNA processing structure-function relationships in RNA complexes RNA analyses, informatics, tools and technologies: transcriptomic analyses and technologies development of tools and technologies for RNA biology and therapeutics Translational studies involving long and short non-coding RNAs: identification of biomarkers development of new therapies involving microRNAs and other ncRNAs clinical studies involving microRNAs and other ncRNAs.