Gut-Derived Exosomes Disrupt Male Fertility by Targeting Mice
A recent study, published in Advanced Science, Wiley, reveals how gut-derived exosomes play a pivotal role in disrupting male fertility in mice. Conditions like obesity and intestinal inflammation, which are associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis (DSGM), lead to widespread complications, including male reproductive issues. However, the mechanisms behind this connection have remained elusive.
The research demonstrates that DSGM alters the miRNA profile of circulating exosomes in mice, impairing spermatogenesis. Single-cell sequencing confirmed that exosomes from DSGM mice disrupted meiosis in the testes, while exosomes from healthy mice improved spermatogenesis.
Notably, the study found that DSGM-induced exosomes carried an upregulation of miR-211-5p, which inhibited the expression of the meiosis-specific gene Meioc, disrupting the meiotic process and impairing male fertility. This discovery highlights the crucial “gut-testis axis,” linking gut health to reproductive function and offering potential new targets for addressing male infertility caused by gut microbiota imbalances.
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Conclusion. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota led to the abnormal upregulation of miR-211-5p in gut-derived circulating exosomes, which regulates the meiosis, specifically targeting the coiled-coil domain (Meioc) in the testes, thus impairing spermatogenesis.
Image Credits: Chen et al. Adv. Sci. 2024
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