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Human obstructive (postvasectomy) and nonobstructive azoospermia - Insights from scRNA-Seq and transcriptome analysis

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Human obstructive (postvasectomy) and nonobstructive azoospermia - Insights from scRNA-Seq and transcriptome analysis

Shitao Chen
Geng An
Hanshu Wang
Xiaolong Wu
Ping Ping
Longfei Hu
Yunmei Chen
Jue Fan
Cheng C. Yan
Fei Sun
Genes & Diseases第9卷, 第3期pp.766-776纸质出版 2022-05-01在线发表 2020-09-28
138700

A substantial number of male infertility is caused by azoospermia. However, the underlying etiology and the molecular basis remain largely unknown. Through single-cell (sc) RNA sequencing, we had analyzed testis biopsy samples from two patients with obstructive azoospermia (OA) and nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). We found only somatic cells in the NOA samples and explored the transcriptional changes in Sertoli cells in response to a loss of interactions with germ cells. Moreover, we observed a germ cell population discrepancy between an OA (postvasectomy) patient and a healthy individual. We confirmed this observation in a secondary study with two datasets at GSM3526588 and GSE124263 for detailed analysis wherein the regulatory mechanisms at the transcriptional level were identified. These findings thus provide valuable information on human spermatogenesis, and we also identified insightful information for further research on reproduction-related diseases.

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Androgen signalingRetinoic acidSertoli cell-only syndromeSingle-cellSpermatogenesis