| First Author | Liu Y | Year | 2024 |
| Journal | J Transl Med | Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 240 |
| PubMed ID | 38443933 | Mgi Jnum | J:346296 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7614982 | Doi | 10.1186/s12967-024-05010-3 |
| Citation | Liu Y, et al. (2024) MORN2 regulates the morphology and energy metabolism of mitochondria and is required for male fertility in mice. J Transl Med 22(1):240 |
| abstractText | BACKGROUND: Mitochondria produce adenosine triphosphate through respiratory activities to power sperm differentiation and motility, and decreased mitochondrial respiratory activity can result in poor sperm motility and asthenospermia. The mitochondrial sheath is a component of the mid-piece of the sperm flagellum, and dysfunction of the sheath can reduce sperm motility and cause male infertility. The membrane occupation and recognition nexus-motif protein 2 (MORN2) is testis enriched in mice, and the MORN motif was reported to play a role in the regulation of bioelectrical signal homeostasis in cardiomyocytes. METHODS: We generated Morn2(-/-) mice using CRISPR/Cas9 and evaluated the potential functions of MORN2 in spermiogenesis through histological analysis, fertility examination, RT-PCR, CASA, immunofluorescence, TUNEL, electron microscopy analysis, mitochondrial energy metabolism analysis, etc. RESULTS: The Morn2(-/-) mice were infertile, and their sperm showed severe motility defects. Morn2(-/-) sperm also had abnormal morphology characterized by bent heads, aberrant mitochondrial sheath formation, lower mitochondrial membrane potential, higher levels of reactive oxygen species, and decreased mitochondrial respiratory activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that MORN2 is essential for male fertility and indicates that MORN2 functions in mitochondrial sheath formation and regulates mitochondrial respiratory activity. |
