[Gene expression characteristics of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the sperm of asthenospermia patients].

OBJECTIVE

To determine the differential expressions of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) in normal and asthenospermia (AS) men and analyze their biological significance in AS.

METHODS

We isolated and extracted total RNAs from 9 normal and 9 AS sperm samples, determined the expressions of RNAs in the sperm using the DNBSEQ sequencing platform, and analyzed their relevant functions by gene ontology enrichment (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway (KEGG) analyses.

RESULTS

An average of 10.64G data was generated per group, with 282 185 RNAs detected, including 107 009 lncRNAs. Among the total number of lncRNAs, 15 157 were differentially expressed, 2 190 upregulated and 12 967 downregulated; and among the 19 514 mRNAs, 13 736 were differentially expressed, 4 995 upregulated and 8 741 downregulated. Differentially expressed genes were enriched mainly in the sperm cell membrane and the pathways related to the ion channel functions, sperm development and fertilization.

CONCLUSION

Differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs can be identified by sequencing analysis of AS and normal sperm. Regulation of sperm function through membrane ion channels may contribute to the development of AS, which provides a molecular basis for further research on AS.