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Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Analysis Reveals Sequential Cell Fate Transition during Human Spermatogenesis

ABSTRACT: Spermatogenesis generates mature male gametes and is critical for the proper transmission of genetic information between generations. However, the developmental landscape and underlying molecular signals during human spermatogenesis remain unknown. Here, we examined human spermatogenesis using transcriptome-wide single-cell RNA sequencing of 2,854 individual testicular cells from donors with normal spermatogenesis (donors with normal fertility or OA) and 174 testicular cells from one donor diagnosed as having nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). Systematic bioinformatics analyses enabled us to delineate the full developmental trajectories of human spermatogenesis. A hierarchical model was established, which was characterized by the sequential and step-wise development of three spermatogonia subtypes, seven spermatocyte subtypes, and four spermatid subtypes. Furthermore, we recapitulated key hallmarks of human spermatogenesis at the single-cell level, including spermatogonial development, mitosis-to-meiosis transition, meiotic recombination, meiotic sex chromosome inactivation, and histone-to-protamine exchange. Remarkably, BMPR1B and FGFR3 were identified as novel markers of human spermatogonial stem cells, indicating the potentially critical role of BMP and FGF signaling pathways for SSC maintenance. Further analysis identified several novel marker genes of specific cell type such as HMGA1, PIWIL4, TEX29, SCML1, and CCDC112, the expression patterns of which were confirmed via RNA FISH or immunostaining. We also demonstrated that scRNA-seq provided a platform to find differentially expressed genes correlated with one type of nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) at the genome-wide transcriptional profiling level, which might pave way for further diagnosis and dissecting the underlying mechanisms of male infertility. Our work allows for the reconstruction of transcriptional programs inherent to sequential cell fate transition during human spermatogenesis and has implications for deciphering male-related reproductive disorders.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE106487 | GEO | 2018/08/30

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Infertility affects about one in six couples attempting pregnancy, with the man responsible in approximately half of the cases. Because the pathophysiology underlying azoospermia is not elucidated, most male infertility is diagnosed as idiopathic. Genome-wide gene expression analyses with microarray on testis specimens from 47 non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and 11 obstructive azoospermia (OA) patients were performed, and 2,611 transcripts that preferentially included genes relevant to gametogenesis and reproduction according to Gene Ontology classification were found to be differentially expressed. Using a set of 945 of the 2,611 transcripts without missing data, NOA was further categorized into three classes using the non-negative matrix factorization method. These three subclasses showed differences in Johnsenâs score, FSH level, and LH level. In addition, the 52 genes showing high statistical difference between NOA subclasses (P < 0.01 with Tukey's post hoc test) were subjected to allelic association analyses to identify genetic susceptibilities in 442 NOA patients and 475 fertile men. After two rounds of screening, SNPs of the ADP-ribosyltransferase 3 (ART3) gene were associated with NOA with highest significance with ART3-SNP25 (rs6836703; P = 0.0025). Haplotypes with 5 SNPs were constructed, and the most common haplotype was found to be under-represented in patients (NOA 26.6 % versus control 35.3 %, P = 0.000073). Subjects having the most common haplotype showed an elevated level of testosterone, suggesting a protective effect of the haplotype on spermatogenesis. Thus, genome-wide gene expression analyses were used to identify genes involved in the pathogenesis of NOA, and ART3 was subsequently identified as a susceptibility gene for NOA. These findings clarify the molecular pathophysiology of NOA and suggest a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of NOA. Experiment Overall Design: Comparative analysis of two disease phenotypes, using testicular biopsy specimens from 47 NOA and 11 OA patients. No experimental replicates.

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Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Analysis Reveals Sequential Cell Fate Transition during Human Spermatogenesis

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