Identification of important extracellular vesicle RNA molecules related to sperm motility and prostate cancer

Engineered extracellular vesicles: a breakthrough approach to overcoming sperm cryopreservation challenges

Freezing sperm for artificial insemination (AI) has been common for decades, but this method causes damage to sperm, which affects its viability and fertility. Various strategies have been used to treat sperm cryopreservation complications, but their results are still not satisfactory. The latest approach in this field is using extracellular vesicles (EVs). The role of EVs in reproduction, such as spermatogenesis, sperm capacitation, and fertility has been proven. EVs can deliver proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other molecules to the sperm for repair. The EVs carry proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other molecules, which could be involved in sperm quality, functionality or fertility. The application of EV derived from animal and human cell sources for cryoinjury treatment indicates the improvement of sperm quality after freeze-thawing. In addition, different EV engineering methods regarding various EV cargos could be more influential for cryopreserved sperm treatment because they could provide EV customized content for delivering to cryoinjured sperm, according to their unique needs to enhance viability and fertility. In this review, first, we reminded the sperm cryopreservation complications, and next explained the conventional and modern strategies for overcoming them. Then, we have pointed out the role of EV in sperm development and the following mentioned the study results of using EV from different cell sources in sperm cryoinjuries repair. Also, we suggested several predisposing molecules (including microRNAs and proteins) for EV engineering to treat sperm cryopreservation complications by indirect engineering procedure, including genetic manipulation and incubation with therapeutic molecules, and direct engineering procedure, including electroporation, sonication, incubation, saponin permeabilization, extrusion, CaCl2-heat shock, and freeze/thawing. Finally, we discussed the limitations of EV application and ethical considerations in this context. In the meantime, despite these limitations, we pointed out the promising potential of the EV engineering strategies to reduce infertility rates by helping to overcome sperm cryopreservation challenges.

Proteomics and Metabolic Characteristics of Boar Seminal Plasma Extracellular Vesicles Reveal Biomarker Candidates Related to Sperm Motility

Although seminal plasma extracellular vesicles (SPEVs) play important roles in sperm function, little is known about their metabolite compositions and roles in sperm motility. Here, we performed metabolomics and proteomics analysis of boar SPEVs with high or low sperm motility to investigate specific biomarkers affecting sperm motility. In total, 140 proteins and 32 metabolites were obtained through differentially expressed analysis and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Seven differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) (ADIRF, EPS8L1, PRCP, CD81, PTPRD, CSK, LOC100736569) and six differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) (adenosine, beclomethasone, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, urea, 1-methyl-l-histidine, and palmitic acid) were also identified in WGCNA significant modules. Joint pathway analysis revealed that three DEPs (GART, ADCY7, and NTPCR) and two DEMs (urea and adenosine) were involved in purine metabolism. Our results suggested that there was significant correlation between proteins and metabolites, such as IL4I1 and urea (r = 0.86). Furthermore, we detected the expression level of GART, ADCY7, and CDC42 in sperm of two groups, which further verified the experimental results. This study revealed that several proteins and metabolites in SPEVs play important roles in sperm motility. Our results offered new insights into the complex mechanism of sperm motility and identified potential biomarkers for male reproductive diseases.

Erratum: Identification of important extracellular vesicle RNA molecules related to sperm motility and prostate cancer

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.20517/evcna.2021.02.].

Extracellular vesicles in reproduction and pregnancy

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, lipid-bound packages that are secreted by all cell types and have been implicated in many diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Though limited, an exciting new area of EV research focuses on their role in the reproductive system and pregnancy. In males, EVs have been implicated in sperm production and maturation. In females, EVs play a vital role in maintaining reproductive organ homeostasis and pregnancy, including the regulation of folliculogenesis, ovulation, and embryo implantation. During the development and maintenance of a pregnancy, the placenta is the main form of communication between the mother and the developing fetus. To support the developing fetus, the placenta will act as numerous vital organs until birth, and release EVs into the maternal and fetal bloodstream. EVs play an important role in cell-to-cell communication and may mediate the pathophysiology of pregnancy-related disorders such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, and intrauterine growth restriction, and potentially serve as noninvasive biomarkers for these conditions. In addition, EVs may also mediate processes involved in both male and female infertility. Together, the EVs secreted by both the male and female reproductive tracts work to promote reproductive fertility and play vital roles in mediating maternal-fetal crosstalk and pregnancy maintenance.

Multiplexed Profiling of Extracellular Vesicles for Biomarker Development

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived membranous particles that play a crucial role in molecular trafficking, intercellular transport and the egress of unwanted proteins. They have been implicated in many diseases including cancer and neurodegeneration. EVs are detected in all bodily fluids, and their protein and nucleic acid content offers a means of assessing the status of the cells from which they originated. As such, they provide opportunities in biomarker discovery for diagnosis, prognosis or the stratification of diseases as well as an objective monitoring of therapies. The simultaneous assaying of multiple EV-derived markers will be required for an impactful practical application, and multiplexing platforms have evolved with the potential to achieve this. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview of the currently available multiplexing platforms for EV analysis, with a primary focus on miniaturized and integrated devices that offer potential step changes in analytical power, throughput and consistency.