TMPRSS12 Functions in Meiosis and Spermiogenesis and Is Required for Male Fertility in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Serine proteases are involved in many physiological activities as initiators of proteolytic cascades, and some members have been reported to play roles in male reproduction. Transmembrane serine protease 12 (TMPRSS12) has been shown to regulate sperm motility and uterotubal junction migration in mice, but its role in the testis remains unknown. In this study, we verified that TMPRSS12 was expressed in the spermatocytes and spermatids of testis and the acrosome of sperm. Mice deficient in Tmprss12 exhibited male sterility. In meiosis, TMPRSS12 was demonstrated to regulate synapsis and double-strand break repair; spermatocytes of Tmprss12 ^-/- mice underwent impaired meiosis and subsequent apoptosis, resulting in reduced sperm counts. During spermiogenesis, TMPRSS12 w

SUBMITTER: Zhang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9081376 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature