• PMID: 26539909
• Gene Name: PICSAR
• Condition: Male infertility
• Association: Associated
• Population size: 8
• Population details: 8 (5 patients (aged 24–36 years) with NOA (3 MA and 2 Hypo) and three control subjects (aged 48–60 years))
• Age: Controls: (aged 48–60 years), Patients (24–36 years)
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Associated genes: NGS

Downregulation of miR-320a/383-sponge-like long non-coding RNA NLC1-C (narcolepsy candidate-region 1 genes) is associated with male infertility and promotes testicular embryonal carcinoma cell proliferation

Lü M, Tian H, Cao YX, He X, Chen L, Song X, Ping P, Huang H, Sun F.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are extensively transcribed from the genome, have been proposed to be key regulators of diverse biological processes. However, little is known about the role of lncRNAs in regulating spermatogenesis in human males. Here, using microarray technology, we show altered expression of lncRNAs in the testes of infertile men with maturation arrest (MA) or hypospermatogenesis (Hypo), with 757 and 2370 differentially down-regulated and 475 and 163 up-regulated lncRNAs in MA and Hypo, respectively. These findings were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assays on select lncRNAs, including HOTTIP, imsrna320, imsrna292 and NLC1-C (narcolepsy candidate-region 1 genes). Interestingly, NLC1-C, also known as long intergenic non-protein-coding RNA162 (LINC00162), was down-regulated in the cytoplasm and accumulated in the nucleus of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes in the testes of infertile men with mixed patterns of MA compared with normal control. The accumulation of NLC1-C in the nucleus repressed miR-320a and miR-383 transcript and promoted testicular embryonal carcinoma cell proliferation by binding to Nucleolin. Here, we define a novel mechanism by which lncRNAs modulate miRNA expression at the transcriptional level by binding to RNA-binding proteins to regulate human spermatogenesis. FAU - Lü, M AU - Lü M AD - International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. AD - Reproduction Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China. AD - Shanghai Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai, China. FAU - Tian, H AU - Tian H AD - International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. FAU - Cao, Y-X AU - Cao YX AD - Reproduction Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China. FAU - He, X AU - He X AD - Reproduction Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China. FAU - Chen, L AU - Chen L AD - Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. FAU - Song, X AU - Song X AD - School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. FAU - Ping, P AU - Ping P AD - Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. FAU - Huang, H AU - Huang H AD - International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. AD - Shanghai Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai, China.