| First Author | Fukutomi M | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | J Assist Reprod Genet | Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 11 | Pages | 2647-2657 |
| PubMed ID | 36129630 | Mgi Jnum | J:338085 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7510056 | Doi | 10.1007/s10815-022-02623-9 |
| Citation | Fukutomi M, et al. (2022) Lrriq1 is an essential factor for fertility by suppressing apoptosis. J Assist Reprod Genet 39(11):2647-2657 |
| abstractText | PURPOSE: Leucine-rich repeats and IQ motif containing 1 (LRRIQ1) gene is reportedly associated with plasma inhibin B levels. However, the function of LRRIQ1 remains unknown. In this study, we generated Lrriq1 knockout mice (Lrriq1(-/-) mice) and examined the effects of LRRIQ1 on inhibin B and fertility. METHODS: Lrriq1(-/-) mice were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology. The expression of Inhibin B was examined by Western blotting using a protein extracted from the testis of a 3-month-old male mouse. Mating experiments were conducted using 7-week-old Lrriq1(-/-) mice and wild-type (WT) mice to examine fertility. Sperm concentration and sperm motility were measured using 3-month-old male mice. RESULTS: Expression analysis of inhibin B revealed that Lrriq1(-/-) mice exhibited reduced mRNA and protein levels of inhibin alpha (Inha), which constitutes the alpha subunit. In the mating experiment, the litter size of Lrriq1(-/-) male mice was 4.3 +/- 2.9, which was significantly lower than that of WT male mice (8.3 +/- 1.3) (p < 0.001). No difference in sperm count was observed between Lrriq1(-/-) and WT male mice; however, sperm motility (%) was significantly reduced in Lrriq1(-/-) mice (48.4 +/- 4.9) when compared with WT mice (70.2 +/- 4.7) (p < 0.001). Based on TUNEL staining, the testes and epididymal sperm of Lrriq1(-/-) mice showed high numbers of apoptosis-positive cells. CONCLUSION: Lrriq1 knockout reduced sperm motility and litter size by inducing apoptosis of testicular germ cells and epididymal sperm. |
