title: Altered profile of seminal plasma microRNAs in the molecular diagnosis of male infertility.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although microRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in spermatogenesis, little is known about seminal plasma miRNAs in infertile men. We investigated the profile of seminal plasma miRNAs in infertile men to identify miRNAs that are altered in infertility; we then evaluated their diagnostic value.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seminal plasma samples were obtained from 289 infertile men and 168 age-matched fertile control individuals. The stability of the miRNAs was first assessed by time-course and freeze-thaw cycle analyses. The Solexa sequencing technology was used for an initial screen of the miRNAs in samples pooled from 45 patients with nonobstructive azoospermia, 58 patients with asthenozoospermia, and 100 fertile controls. A stem-loop quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay was conducted in the training and verification sets to confirm the concentrations of the altered miRNAs in 73 patients with nonobstructive azoospermia, 79 patients with asthenozoospermia, 34 patients with oligospermia, and 68 fertile controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The miRNAs in seminal plasma were stable. The Solexa sequencing analysis demonstrated 19 markedly altered miRNAs in the patient groups, compared with the control group. RT-qPCR analysis identified 7 miRNAs (miR-34c-5p, miR-122, miR-146b-5p, miR-181a, miR-374b, miR-509-5p, and miR-513a-5p) as markedly decreased in azoospermia but increased in asthenozoospermia. The area under the ROC curve for these miRNAs ranged from 0.733 to 0.921, markedly higher than for routine biochemical parameters (0.510-0.622). Moreover, the concentrations of some selected miRNAs were also increased in the semen sperm of the asthenozoospermia patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The measurement of miRNAs in seminal plasma provides a novel, noninvasive approach for diagnosing male infertility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Cuihua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Junjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zen
authors.forename: Chen-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chunni
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053627:Asthenozoospermia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D020871:RNA Stability; D012372:ROC Curve; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012661:Semen / Q000378:metabolism*; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C542541:MIRN106 microRNA, human; C569392:MIRN202 microRNA, human; C541874:MIRN92 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs