Prohibitin involvement in the generation of mitochondrial superoxide at complex I in human sperm
Date
2016-08-25
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Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Abstract
Prohibitin (PHB), a major mitochondrial membrane protein, has been shown earlier in our laboratoryto regulate sperm motility via an alteration
in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in infertile men with poor sperm quality. To test if PHB expression is associated with sperm mitochondrial
superoxide (mROS) levels, here we examined sperm mROS levels, high MMP and lipid peroxidation in infertile men with poor sperm
motility (asthenospermia, A) and/or low sperm concentrations (oligoasthenospermia, OA). The diaphorase-type activity of sperm mitochondrial
complex I (MCI) and PHB expression were also determined. We demonstrate that mROS and lipid peroxidation levels are significantly higher in
sperm from A and OA subjects than in normospermic subjects, whereas high MMP and PHB expression are significantly lower. A positive correlation
between mROS and lipid peroxidation and a negative correlation of mROS with PHB expression, high MMP, and sperm motility were
found in these subjects. The finding of similar diaphorase-type activity levels of sperm MCI in the three groups studied suggests that the catalytic
subunits of MCI in the matrix arm may produce mROS on its own. There may be a dysfunction of electron transport at MCI associated
with decreased expression of PHB in sperm with poor quality. We conclude that mROS level is increased and associated with decreased PHB
expression, and it may regulate sperm motility via increases in low MMP and lipid peroxidation. This is the first report on the involvement of
PHB in human sperm motility loss associated with increased generation of mROS at MCI.
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Chai, Ran‐Ran, et al. "Prohibitin involvement in the generation of mitochondrial superoxide at complex I in human sperm." Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine 21.1 (2017): 121-129.