• PMID: 17347248
• Gene Name: CATSPER2
• Condition: Infertility
• Association: CatSper2 and CatSper3 have high expression levels in the high-motile spermatozoa than in the low-motile fraction which suggests that CatSper2 and CatSper3 transcripts in human ejaculated spermatozoa could be potential targets for male infertility screenin
• Population size: 17
• Population details: 17 normal males
• Age: Mean age : 29.5+/- 2.9 yrs
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Associated genes: CatSper 3

Expression of CatSper family transcripts in the mouse testis during post-natal development and human ejaculated spermatozoa: relationship to sperm motility

Li HG, Ding XF, Liao AH, Kong XB, Xiong CL.

CatSper is a unique sperm cation channel-like protein family exclusively expressed in the testis and plays important roles in sperm functions. The temporal expression profiles of CatSper1-4 mRNAs in the mouse testis during post-natal development through adulthood were investigated using real-time RT-PCR. The CatSper2 transcript was present in the testis of the 8-day-old mice, and was repressed in the adult testis after two sharp up-regulations at day 18 and 35. CatSper1 and CatSper3, 4 mRNAs were detectable in the testis of 18-day and 15-day-old mice, respectively. After sharp up-regulation at day 25 and 35, respectively, they were maximal at the adult testis stage. The differences between the temporal expression profiles of the CatSper transcripts in post-natal mouse testis development suggest different regulation to their transcription, and potentially contribute to the possibility of forming heteromeric channels among these four CatSper family members. CatSper1-3 transcripts were identified to be present in the human ejaculated spermatozoa by RT-PCR. Significantly higher levels of CatSper2 and CatSper3 mRNAs revealed by real-time RT-PCR were observed in the high-motile spermatozoa than in the low-motile fraction and suggests that CatSper2 and CatSper3 transcripts in the human ejaculated spermatozoa could be the potential targets for further study and male infertility screening. FAU - Li, Hong-Gang AU - Li HG AD - Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. FAU - Ding, Xiao-Fang AU - Ding XF FAU - Liao, Ai-Hua AU - Liao AH FAU - Kong, Xiang-Bing AU - Kong XB