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MicroRNAs in the testis: It is becoming increasingly apparent that microRNAs play important roles, particularly in transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of developmental processes. Their roles in germ cells have not previously been documented, but on p. 427 of this issue, Yu, Raabe, and Hecht, report that microRNAs play a role in posttranscriptional regulation of mRNAs in male germ cells. Their work began with a developmental analysis of the differential expression of 29 microRNAs in mouse testes. Computational analysis of potential microRNA target sequences led the authors to the Tnp2 transcript (encoding the spermatid nuclear transition protein 2), which is known to be stored and post-transcriptionally regulated. Reporter assays and mutational analysis revealed that one of the microRNAs, Mirn122a, regulated the Tnp2 mRNA by degrading it. This ground-breaking work is undoubtedly only a first step in what promises to be an exciting unraveling of previously unsuspected complexity in testicular regulation.
Cigarette Smoke Inhibits Hamster Oocyte Pickup by Increasing Adhesion Between the Oocyte Cumulus Complex and Oviductal Cilia. Christine Gieseke and Prue Talbot. Biol Reprod 2005; 73:443–451. Published online 11 May 2005; 10.1095/biolreprod.105.041152
Smoking and oocyte transport: The adverse health effects of smoking have received much attention. The oviduct is a known target of cigarette smoke and work previously published in Biology of Reproduction (1995, 53:29) showed that cigarette smoke decreased ciliary beat frequency in the hamster oviduct, but effects of cigarette smoke on oocyte pickup in the oviduct are largely independent of effects on ciliary beat. Now, on p. 443 of this issue, Gieseke and Talbot report the use of a unique in vitro system for evaluating cumulus-oocyte pickup by the oviduct to assess further effects of cigarette smoke on this process. With pretreatment of either the oviduct or the oocyte-cumulus complex, smoke decreased the rate of oocyte pickup and increased the adhesion of the oocyte cumulus complex to the oviductal cilia. These results are consistent with previous studies of effects of smoking on adhesion characteristics of diverse epithelial cells. Both attachment to and release from the oviductal cilia are required for oocyte transport and these studies open the door to future molecular analysis of this process as well as provide one more cautionary note about significant health effects of smoking.
The Mouse Epididymal Transcriptome: Transcriptional Profiling of Segmental Gene Expression in the Epididymis. Daniel S. Johnston, Scott A. Jelinsky, Hyun J. Bang, Paul DiCandeloro, Ewa Wilson, Gregory S. Kopf, and Terry T. Turner. Biol Reprod 2005; 73:404–413. Published online 4 May 2005; 10.1095/biolreprod.105.039719
The epididymal transcriptome: Essential aspects of acquisition of fertilization competence by sperm take place in the epididymis, which is therefore a prime target for development of novel male-acting contraceptives. Consequently, it is of great basic and practical interest to define the spectrum of gene expression, and ultimately the proteome, of the epididymis. On p. 404 of this issue is a report of a fruitful collaboration between the groups of Daniel Johnston and Terry Turner that will provide a rich resource for the reproductive biology community. This massive data set adds to and supplements a smaller data set previously published in Biology of Reproduction by Hsia and Cornwall (2004, 70:448). The authors identified ten morphologically (and, presumably, functionally) distinct regions of the mouse epididymis by microdissection and used microarrays to analyze gene expression from each. These expression patterns reveal distinct patterns of segmental regulation along the length of the epididymis, with the 10 regions forming 6 different transcriptional units. These data will shortly be available to all interested researchers and will provide a basis for developing hypotheses about epididymal function and its role in fertility.
Related articles in Biol Reprod:
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