Deficiency of the Tbc1d21 gene causes male infertility with morphological abnormalities of the sperm mitochondria and flagellum in mice.

ABSTRACT: Approximately 2-15% of couples experience infertility, and around half of these cases are attributed to male infertility. We previously identified TBC1D21 as a sterility-related RabGAP gene derived from infertile men. However, the in vivo function of TBC1D21 in male fertility remains unclear. Here, we show that loss of Tbc1d21 in mice resulted in male infertility, characterized by defects in sperm tail structure and diminished sperm motility. The mitochondria of the sperm-tail had an abnormal irregular arrangement, abnormal diameter, and structural defects. Moreover, the axoneme structure of sperm tails was severely disturbed. Several TBC1D21 interactors were selected via proteomic analysis and functional grouping. Two of the candidate interactors, a subunit protein of translocase in the o

SUBMITTER: Wang YY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7549768 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature