Knockout of glutathione peroxidase 5 down-regulates the piRNAs in the caput epididymidis of aged mice.

Knockout of glutathione peroxidase 5 down-regulates the piRNAs in the caput epididymidis of aged mice. Asian J Androl. 2020 Apr 07;: Authors: Chu C, Yu L, Henry-Berger J, Ru YF, Kocer A, Champroux A, Li ZT, He M, Xie SS, Ma WB, Ni MJ, Ni ZM, Guo YL, Fei ZL, Gou LT, Liu Q, Sharma S, Zhou Y, Liu MF, Chen CD, Eamens AL, Nixon B, Zhou YC, Drevet JR, Zhang YL Abstract The mammalian epididymis not only plays a fundamental role in the maturation of spermatozoa, but also provides protection against various stressors. The foremost among these is the threat posed by oxidative stress, which arises from an imbalance in reactive oxygen species and can elicit damage to cellular lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. In mice, the risk of oxidative damage to spermatozoa is mitigated through the expression and secretion of glutathione peroxidase 5 (GPX5) as a major luminal scavenger in the proximal caput epididymidal segment. Accordingly, the loss of GPX5-mediated protection leads to impaired DNA integrity in the spermatozoa of aged Gpx5-/- mice. To explore the underlying mechanism, we have conducted transcriptomic analysis of caput epididymidal epithelial cells from aged (13 months old) Gpx5-/- mice. This analysis revealed the dysregulation of several thousand epididymal mRNA transcripts, including the downregulation of a subgroup of piRNA pathway genes, in aged Gpx5-/- mice. In agreement with these findings, we also observed the loss of piRNAs, which...
Source: Asian Journal of Andrology - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tags: Asian J Androl Source Type: research