TMEM232 is required for the formation of sperm flagellum and male fertility in mice.

ABSTRACT: Asthenoteratozoospermia is a major cause of male infertility. Thus far, the identified related genes can explain only a small share of asthenoteratozoospermia cases, suggesting the involvement of other genes. The transmembrane protein TMEM232 is highly expressed in mouse testes. In the present study, to determine its function of TMEM232 in testes, we constructed a Tmem232-null mouse model using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Tmem232 knockout (KO) male mice was completely infertile, and their sperm were immotile, with morphological defects of the flagellum. Electron microscopy revealed an aberrant midpiece-principal junction and the loss of the fourth outer microtubule doublet in the sperm of Tmem232^-/- mice. Sperm cells presented an 8 + 2 conformation and an irregular arrangement of th

SUBMITTER: Cai X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11549365 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature