A microarray for microRNA profiling in spermatozoa from adult men living in an environmentally polluted site

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2012 Dec;89(6):1111-4. doi: 10.1007/s00128-012-0827-0. Epub 2012 Sep 25.

Abstract

We compared the miRNA expression profiles of spermatozoa from adult men living in an environment contaminated with electronic waste with those living in a normal environment, using a miRNA microarray. There were 73 significantly upregulated and 109 downregulated miRNAs in spermatozoa from men in the polluted environment compared with controls. Ten miRNAs were expressed significantly differently between the control and polluted samples and this result were further confirmed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction amplification. A bioinformatics pipeline was developed to distinguish relationship with spermatogenesis. Our data indicated specific miRNAs expression of spermatozoa in men living in environmentally polluted sites and suggested that miRNAs have a role in regulating spermatogenesis. We also propose a subclassification scheme for miRNAs for assisting future experimental and computational functional analyses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis*
  • Environmental Exposure / statistics & numerical data
  • Environmental Pollution / statistics & numerical data
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Spermatogenesis / drug effects
  • Spermatozoa / metabolism*

Substances

  • MicroRNAs