Home  |   Archive  |   Online Submission  |   News & Events  |   Subscribe  |   APFA  |   Society  |   Contact Us  |   中文版
Search   
 
Journal

Ahead of print
Authors' Accepted
    Manuscripts
new!
Current Issue
Archive
Acknowledgments
Special Issues
Browse by Category

Manuscript Submission

Online Submission
Online Review
Instruction for Authors
Instruction for Reviewers
English Corner new!

About AJA

About AJA
Editorial Board
Contact Us
News

Resources & Services

Advertisement
Subscription
Email alert
Proceedings
Reprints

Download area

Copyright licence
EndNote style file
Manuscript word template
Guidance for AJA figures
    preparation (in English)

Guidance for AJA figures
    preparation (in Chinese)

Proof-reading for the
    authors

AJA Club (in English)
AJA Club (in Chinese)

 
Abstract

Volume 17, Issue 5 (September 2015) 17, 730–736; 10.4103/1008-682X.155532

Extracellular microRNAs from the epididymis as potential mediators of cell-to-cell communication

Clémence Belleannée

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Reproduction, Mother and Youth Health Division, Research Center CHU de Québec, Québec, G1V 4G2, Canada

Correspondence: Dr. C Belleannée

30-Jun-2015

Abstract

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) was previously thought to remain inside cells as an intermediate between genes and proteins during translation. However, it is now estimated that 98% of the mammalian genomic output is transcribed as noncoding RNAs, which are involved in diverse gene expression regulatory mechanisms and can be transferred from one cell to another through extracellular communication. For instance, microRNAs are 22-nucleotide-long noncoding RNAs that are generated by endonuclease cleavage of precursors inside the cells and are secreted as extracellular microRNAs to regulate target cell posttranscriptional gene expression via RNA interference. We and others have shown that different populations of microRNAs are expressed in distinct regions of the human epididymis and regulate the expression of target genes that are involved in the control of male fertility as indicated by knock-out mouse models. Importantly, some microRNAs, including the microRNA-888 (miR-888) cluster that is exclusively expressed in the reproductive system of human and nonhuman primates, are released in the sperm-surrounding fluid in the epididymis via extracellular vesicles, the so-called epididymosomes. In addition to interacting with the membrane of maturing spermatozoa, these extracellular vesicles containing microRNAs communicate with epithelial cells located downstream from their release site, suggesting a role in the luminal exocrine control of epididymal functions. Apart from their potential roles as mediators of intercellular communication within the epididymis, these extracellular microRNAs are potent molecular targets for the noninvasive diagnosis of male infertility.

Full Text | PDF | 中文摘要 |

 
Browse:  2442
 
Asian Journal of Andrology CN 31-1795/R ISSN 1008-682X  Copyright © 2023  Shanghai Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences.  All rights reserved.