title: Proper ubiquitination effect on the fertilisation outcome post-ICSI.
abstract: Ubiquitin is an 8.5-kDa protein that tags outlived proteins for degradation by the proteasome. It also marks defective spermatozoa during epididymal passage and has been proposed as a biomarker of sperm quality. This study evaluates the relationship between sperm ubiquitination, protamine deficiency, semen parameters and fertilisation rate in infertile individuals undergoing the intracytoplasmic sperm insemination (ICSI) procedure. Semen samples from 73 ICSI candidates were collected and analysed according to World Health Organization criteria. A portion of each sample was evaluated for sperm ubiquitination using the sperm ubiquitin tag immunoassay (SUTI) with flow cytometry, and protamine deficiency by chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining. In addition, the relationship between the fertilisation rate and sperm ubiquitination was calculated in ICSI candidates. The intensity of ubiquitination showed a significant negative correlation with sperm concentration (r = -0.255, P = 0.032) and a positive correlation with fertilisation rate (r = 0.384, P = 0.013) post-ICSI. No correlation was observed between protamine deficiency and the percentage of ubiquitination or ubiquitination intensity. The results of this study suggest that sperm ubiquitination prior to capacitation may be considered as a marker of defective spermatozoon. Spermatozoa that undergo proper ubiquitination may have a higher chance for fertilisation, because they are made redundant by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in the epididymis compared to hypo-ubiquitinated spermatozoa.
authors: Department of Reproduction and Development, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Eskandari-Shahraki
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Tavalaee
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Deemeh
authors: Gh A
authors: GA
authors: Jelodar
authors: M H
authors: MH
authors: Nasr-Esfahani
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D011479:Protamines / Q000378:metabolism; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000379:methods; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000502:physiology; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000378:metabolism; D054875:Ubiquitination / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011479:Protamines; D025801:Ubiquitin