Browsing by Subject "Fertility"

Now showing 1 - 17 of 17
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    Advanced sperm selection strategies as a treatment for infertile couples: a systematic review
    (MDPI, 2022-11-10 ) Jordi Ribas-Maynou; Barranco Cascales, Isabel; Sorolla Segura, María; Llavanera, Marc; Delgado Bermúdez, Ariadna; Yeste, Marc; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is an essential tool to overcome infertility, and is a worldwide disease that affects millions of couples at reproductive age. Sperm selection is a crucial step in ART treatment, as it ensures the use of the highest quality sperm for fertilization, thus increasing the chances of a positive outcome. In recent years, advanced sperm selection strategies for ART have been developed with the aim of mimicking the physiological sperm selection that occurs in the female genital tract. This systematic review sought to evaluate whether advanced sperm selection techniques could improve ART outcomes and sperm quality/functionality parameters compared to traditional sperm selection methods (swim-up or density gradients) in infertile couples. According to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA guidelines), the inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined in a PICOS (population, intervention, comparator, outcome, study) table. A systematic search of the available literature published in MEDLINE-PubMed until December 2021 was subsequently conducted. Although 4237 articles were recorded after an initial search, only 47 studies were finally included. Most reports (30/47; 63.8%) revealed an improvement in ART outcomes after conducting advanced vs. traditional sperm selection methods. Among those that also assessed sperm quality/functionality parameters (12/47), there was a consensus (10/12; 83.3%) about the beneficial effect of advanced sperm selection methods on these variables. In conclusion, the application of advanced sperm selection methods improves ART outcomes. In spite of this, as no differences in the reproductive efficiency between advanced methods has been reported, none can be pointed out as a gold standard to be conducted routinely. Further research addressing whether the efficiency of each method relies on the etiology of infertility is warranted.
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    Avances en el conocimiento de la dinámica de la materia orgánica dentro de un contexto agroecológico
    (Murcia: servicio de publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia, 2012) Labrador, Juana
    La materia orgánica representa la principal reserva edáfica de carbono. Su participación en moléculas que poseen composición y propiedades diferenciadas, le hacen responsable de actividades fundamentales en el suelo; su colaboración en y con la vida edáfica crean un conjunto de propiedades emergentes que generan resiliencia, conservación y promueven la fertilidad, productividad y la biodiversidad de los suelos. A pesar de la evidencia histórica de su importancia, el reconocimiento de su papel en la dinámica del suelo ha sido fluctuante y ha estado unido a las incertidumbres procedentes del conocimiento científico y de contextos culturales cambiantes, dándose en los últimos cincuenta años, los mayores avances en el conocimiento de su naturaleza y de sus funciones gracias a los progresos en ecológica microbiana y en los procesos analíticos e instrumentales. Paradójicamente, a pesar de éstos avances, el paradigma agronómico, ha asumido de forma sesgada su papel traduciendo sus múltiples funciones a un balance simplista de unidades fertilizantes. Por el momento sólo la agroecología mantiene un marco teórico robusto y abierto a nuevas aportaciones desde el conocimiento científico y experimental, que reconoce la multifuncionalidad de la materia orgánica en los agrosistemas y los expresa en prácticas y manejos de enorme eficiencia agrosistémica.
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    Chidcare and geographical mobility in southern Europe
    (Wiley, 2015-03-26) Méndez Martínez, Ildefonso; Economía Aplicada
    This article investigates the association between the availability of childcare and low geographical mobility in southern Europe where, the author argues, couples that have or plan to have children live close to their parents in order to reconcile work and family life by taking advantage of their mothers' low labour force participation rate. He presents a behavioural model showing couples' fertility, female employment and mobility decisions, and tests the model's predictions using ECHP data. The deterrent effect of a woman working on the couple's mobility is found to be significant only for couples who have children and live in southern Europe.
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    Diferencias geográficas de la fecundidad en España: Una perspectiva provincial
    (2018-02-28) Gil Alonso, Fernando; Bayona Carrasco, Jordi; López Villanueva, Cristina; Pujadas Rúbies, Isabel
    El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las diferencias en la intensidad de la fecundidad que existen actualmente en el interior de las provincias españolas, particularmente la que se encuentra entre las capitales de provincia y sus restos provinciales, así como explicar la evolución reciente de dicho fenómeno en España. Mientras que la diferenciación en los valores de la fecundidad entre provincias ha sido objeto clásico de estudio, poco se sabe de las diferencias internas y de su evolución. Los resultados alcanzados en este trabajo indican la existencia de diferencias en dos direcciones: en las provincias más urbanas las capitales (especialmente aquellas con un término municipal más reducido y que no incluyen, por lo tanto, nuevas áreas periféricas de expansión) experimentan menor fecundidad que el resto de sus respectivas provincias; en cambio, en las provincias más rurales, donde la población joven se concentra en la capital, es ésta la que muestra una mayor fecundidad que los municipios rurales del resto de la provincia.
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    Editorial: molecular biomarkers in animal reproduction
    (Frontiers Media, 2021-12-01) Martínez, Cristina Alicia; Roca, Jordi; Barranco, Isabel; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Improving the reproductive efficiency of livestock species remains challenging the scientific community. Emerging 'omics technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, are helping to overcome this challenge (1, 2). These high-throughput technologies make it possible to identify the set of molecules and regulatory networks which are directly or indirectly involved in reproductive processes, and to recognize molecules that play a key role in major reproductive events (3). In this context, one of the purposes of this special issue was to highlight the increasing applicability of 'omics to identify key molecules involved in modulating main reproductive events of animal species of economic interest. Seven out of nine research papers included in this special issue used 'omics-tools, five of them using transcriptomics and the other two using metabolomics and proteomics.
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    Exploring seminal plasma GSTM3 as a quality and in vivo fertility biomarker in pigs-relationship with sperm morphology
    (MDPI, 2020-08-12) Llavanera, Marc; Delgado-Bermúdez, Ariadna; Mateo-Otero, Yentel; Padilla, Lorena; Romeu, Xavier; Roca, Jordi; Barranco, Isabel; Yeste, Marc; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Glutathione S-transferases Mu 3 (GSTM3) is an essential antioxidant enzyme whose presence in sperm has recently been related to sperm cryotolerance, quality and fertility. However, its role in seminal plasma (SP) as a predictor of the same sperm parameters has never been investigated. Herein, cell biology and proteomic approaches were performed to explore the presence, origin and role of SP-GSTM3 as a sperm quality and in vivo fertility biomarker. GSTM3 in SP was quantified using a commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit specific for Sus scrofa, whereas the presence of GSTM3 in testis, epididymis and accessory sex glands was assessed through immunoblotting analysis. Sperm quality and functionality parameters were evaluated in semen samples at 0 and 72 h of liquid-storage, whereas fertility parameters were recorded over a 12-months as farrowing rate and litter size. The presence and concentration of GSTM3 in SP was established for the first time in mammalian species, predominantly synthesized in the epididymis. The present study also evidenced a relationship between SP-GSTM3 and sperm morphology and suggested it is involved in epididymal maturation rather than in ejaculated sperm physiology. Finally, the data reported herein ruled out the role of this antioxidant enzyme as a quality and in vivo fertility biomarker of pig sperm.
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    Expression of the proto-oncogene c-fos and the immunolocalization of c-fos, phosphorylated c-fos and estrogen receptor beta in the human testis
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2009) Araújo, Fabiano C.; Oliveira, Cleida A.; Reis, Augusto E.; Del Puerto, Helen L.; Martins, Almir S.; Reis, Fernando M.
    Spermatogenesis is under the control of a complex endocrine and paracrine system, including estrogen receptor (ER) signaling. In many target cells, ER promotes the transcription of c-fos and other protooncogenes to regulate cell growth and differentiation. Thus, in this study we evaluated the expression of the proto-oncogene c-fos and the immunolocalization of cfos, phosphorylated c-fos and ERbeta proteins in the human testis. Testis tissue samples were obtained from 12 men undergoing orchiectomy as adjuvant treatment for prostate cancer, and were stained by immunohistochemistry for c-fos, phosphorylated c-fos and ERbeta localization. Both forms of c-fos proteins were immunoreactive, mainly in germ cells (spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatids) and Sertoli cells, while ERbeta was primarily present in somatic cells (Leydig, Sertoli and myofibrillar cells). In addition, testicular biopsies obtained from infertile men with obstructive azoospermia/normal spermatogenesis (n=8) or non-obstructive azoospermia/severely impaired spermatogenesis (n=12) were evaluated for c-fos and ERbeta mRNA levels using real time polymerase chain reaction. The expression of c-fos mRNA was significantly lower (fold change = 0.08, p<0.05) whereas that of ERbeta mRNA was higher (fold change = 9.43, p<0.05) in the testis of men with non-obstructive azoospermia compared to those with obstructive azoospermia. These findings suggest a complex interrelation between estrogen signaling and c-fos transcriptional activity within the human testis, with the increase of ERbeta mRNA being putatively a compensatory mechanism for lower c-fos expression in infertile men with damaged spermatogenesis.
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    Levels of activity of superoxide dismutase in seminal plasma do not predict fertility of pig AI-semen doses
    (2019-12) Barranco, Isabel; Padilla, Lorena; Tvarijonaviciute, Asta; Parrilla, Inmaculada; Martinez, Emilio A.; Rodríguez Martínez, Heriberto; Yeste, Marc; Roca, Jordi; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a major antioxidant enzyme in boar seminal plasma (SP). This study evaluated how SP-SOD affected sperm attributes when semen of boars of various breeds, included in commercial artificial insemination (AI)-programs, was extended and liquid-stored at 17 °C for AI; as well as their in vivo fertility (farrowing rate and litter size of 10,952 AI-sows). SP-SOD-activity was assessed in 311 ejaculates (100 boars) while sperm motility (by CASA), viability and intracellular H2O2 generation in viable spermatozoa (by flow cytometry) were measured at 0 and 72 h of liquid storage. SP-SOD activity was not affected by breed but differed (P < 0.001) between boars (n = 50), ranging from 1.16 ± 0.11 to 7.02 ± 0.75 IU/mL. Semen AI-doses (n = 44) hierarchically grouped (P < 0.001) with low SP-SOD activity showed lower (P < 0.05) sperm motility and intracellular H2O2 at 72 h of liquid storage. Fertility did not differ between AI-boars (n = 39) hierarchically grouped (P < 0.001) with high or low SP-SOD activity. In conclusion, SP-SOD activity is boar dependent and positively related with sperm functionality of liquid-stored semen AI-doses. However, this positive effect is not reflected on in vivo fertility post-AI.
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    New in-depth analytical approach of the porcine seminal plasma proteome reveals potential fertility biomarkers
    (American Chemical Society, 2018-02-07) Pérez Patiño, Cristina; Parrilla Riera, Inmaculada; Barranco Cascales, Isabel; Vergara Barberán, María; Simó Alfonso, Ernesto F.; Herrero Martínez, José M.; Rodríguez Martínez, Heriberto; Martínez García, Emilio; Roca Aleu, Jorge; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    A complete characterization of the proteome of seminal plasma (SP) is an essential step to understand how SP influences sperm function and fertility after artificial insemination (AI). The purpose of this study was to identify which among characterized proteins in boar SP were differently expressed among AI boars with significantly different fertility outcomes. A total of 872 SP proteins, 390 of them belonging specifically to Sus Scrofa taxonomy, were identified (Experiment 1) by using a novel proteomic approach that combined size exclusion chromatography and solid-phase extraction as prefractionation steps prior to Nano LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. The SP proteomes of 26 boars showing significant differences in farrowing rate (n = 13) and litter size (n = 13) after the AI of 10 526 sows were further analyzed (Experiment 2). A total of 679 SP proteins were then quantified by the SWATH approach, where the penalized linear regression LASSO revealed differentially expressed SP proteins for farrowing rate (FURIN, AKR1B1, UBA1, PIN1, SPAM1, BLMH, SMPDL3A, KRT17, KRT10, TTC23, and AGT) and litter size (PN-1, THBS1, DSC1, and CAT). This study extended our knowledge of the SP proteome and revealed some SP proteins as potential biomarkers of fertility in AI boars.
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    Oxytocin in pig seminal plasma is positively related with in vivo fertility of inseminated sows
    (BMC, 2021-09-13) Padilla, Lorena; López Arjona, Marina; Martínez Subiela, Silvia; Rodríguez Martínez, Heriberto; Roca, Jordi; Barranco, Isabel; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Background: identification of relevant in vivo biomarkers for fertility remains a challenge for the livestock industry. Concentrations of the small peptide hormone oxytocin (OXT), involved in male reproductive function and present in the seminal plasma (SP) of several species could be a robust one. This study characterized concentrations of SP-OXT in ejaculates from boars used in artificial insemination (AI) programs aiming to evaluate its relationship with sperm quality variables and in vivo fertility of their liquid-stored AI-semen. Seminal OXT concentrations (ng/mL) were measured in 169 ejaculates from 61 boars of the Duroc, Pietrain, Landrace and Large White breeds using a direct competitive immunoassay test based on AlphaLISA® technology. Ejaculate (ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count) and sperm parameters (motility, viability, intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species, plasma membrane fluidity) were assessed at 0 h and 72 h in AI-semen samples stored at 17 °C. In vivo fertility included only 18 Large White and Landrace boars whose AI-semen was used to inseminated > 100 sows and evaluated both farrowing rate and litter size of 3,167 sows. Results: The results showed that SP-OXT differed between boars and between ejaculates within boar (P < 0.05) but not between breeds (Duroc, Pietrain, Landrace and Large White). Ejaculates with higher SP-OXT concentration/mL (hierarchically grouped; P < 0.001) had larger volume and came from younger boars (P < 0.05). Ejaculates of boars showing positive farrowing rate deviation exhibited higher (P < 0.05) SP-OXT concentration/mL than those with negative farrowing rate deviation. Conclusion: The SP concentrations of OXT are boar, ejaculate and age dependent, and positively related with ejaculate volume and farrowing rates of liquid-stored semen AI-doses.
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    Proteomic profiling of porcine seminal extracellular vesicles reveals potential in vivo fertility biomarkers
    (Wiley, 2025-07-04) Barranco Cascales, Isabel; Martínez Díaz, Pablo; Parra, Ana; Martínez-Alborcia, María José; Lucas Arjona, Xiomara; Rodríguez-Martínez, Heriberto; Roca, Jordi; Medicina y Cirugía Animal; Facultad de Veterinaria
    Background: Predicting male fertility in farm animals remains a challenge. Seminal plasma (SP) contains a high amount of heterogeneous seminal extracellular vesicles (sEVs), believed involved in reproductive processes and maybe key to understanding male fertility. Aims: To identify the sEV proteins that are differentially expressed between more and less fertile boars and that could be candidates for fertility biomarkers in boars used in artificial insemination (AI) programs. Materials and methods: Small (S) and large (L) sEV subsets from SP samples of AI boars with differences in fertility: high (H) or low (L) farrowing rate (FR) and large (L) or small (S) litter size (LS). The S- and L-sEV subsets were isolated by size exclusion chromatography and characterized according to the Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV2023) guidelines. Proteomic analyses (three biological replicates per fertility group and sEV subset) were performed using a Bruker timsTOF fleX™ instrument with data-independent acquisition parallel accumulation-serial fragmentation (diaPASEF) technology. Results: A total of 470 and 726 proteins were quantified in S-sEVs and 1801 and 1834 proteins in L-sEVs from FR and LS boars, respectively. Differentially expressed sEV proteins (log2fold change ≥±1, p ≤ 0.05 and effect size d of Cohen >2.0) were found between the fertility groups: seven in S-sEVs and 52 in L-sEVs between H-FR and L-FR boars, and 47 in S-sEVs and 52 in L-sEVs between L-LS and S-LS boars. Many of these differentially expressed sEV proteins are involved in reproductive processes, particularly in sperm function and sperm-zona pellucida binding, but also in embryo development and implantation. Conclusions: The sEV proteome differs between more and less fertile boars, with many of the differentially expressed proteins known as involved in reproductive processes. This would suggest that sEVs may be involved in male fertility and that some of the differentially expressed sEV proteins could be potential fertility markers for AI boars.
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    Seminal extracellular vesicles and their involvement in male (In)fertility: a systematic review
    (MDPI, 2023-03-02) Parra, Ana; Padilla, Lorena; Lucas, Xiomara; Rodríguez Martínez, Heriberto; Barranco, Isabel; Roca, Jordi; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Seminal plasma contains numerous extracellular vesicles (sEVs). Since sEVs are apparently involved in male (in)fertility, this systematic review focused on studies specifically investigating such relationship. Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched up to 31 December 2022, primarily identifying a total of 1440 articles. After processing for screening and eligibility, 305 studies were selected as they focused on sEVs, and 42 of them were considered eligible because they included the word fertility or a related word such as infertility, subfertility, fertilization, and recurrent pregnancy loss in the title, objective(s), and/or keywords. Only nine of them met the inclusion criteria, namely (a) conducting experiments aimed at associating sEVs with fertility concerns and (b) isolating and adequately characterizing sEVs. Six studies were conducted on humans, two on laboratory animals, and one on livestock. The studies highlighted some sEV molecules, specifically proteins and small non-coding RNAs, that showed differences between fertile and subfertile or infertile males. The content of sEVs was also related to sperm fertilizing capacity, embryo development, and implantation. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that several of the highlighted sEV fertility-related proteins would be cross-linked to each other and involved in biological pathways related to (i) EV release and loading and (ii) plasma membrane organization.
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    Seminal plasma anti-müllerian hormone: a potential AI-boar fertility biomarker?
    (MDPI, 2020-04-10) Barranco Cascales, Isabel; Fernández Fuertes, Beatriz; Padilla, Lorena; Delgado-Bermúdez, Ariadna; Tvarijonaviciute, Asta; Yeste, Marc; Medicina y Cirugía Animal; Facultad de Veterinaria
    The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a Sertoli cell-secreted glycoprotein that is present in seminal plasma (SP), is considered as a marker of spermatogenesis in humans. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of this hormone in boar SP, together with its putative relationship with sperm quality, function, and in vivo fertility parameters in liquid-stored semen samples. The concentration of SP-AMH was assessed in 126 ejaculates from artificial insemination (AI)-boars (n = 92) while using a commercial Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) kit with monoclonal antibodies specific for Sus scrofa AMH (CEA228Po, Cloud-clone). Sperm quality (concentration, motility, viability, and acrosome damage) and functionality (membrane lipid disorder and intracellular H2O2 generation) were assessed in semen samples at 0 and 72 h of liquid-storage. In addition, fertility parameters from 3113 sows inseminated with the AI-boars were recorded in terms of farrowing rate, litter size, number of stillbirths per litter, and the duration of pregnancy over a 12-month period. The results revealed that the SP-AMH concentration varied widely among boar ejaculates, with no differences among breeds. Moreover, the SP-AMH concentration proved to be a good predictive biomarker for sperm concentration (p ˂ 0.05), but poor for other sperm quality, functionality, and in vivo fertility parameters of liquid-stored semen samples from AI-boars.
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    Sperm methylome profiling can discern fertility levels in the porcine biomedical model
    (MDPI, 2021-03-06) Pértille, Fabio; Álvarez Rodríguez, Manuel; Da Silva, Arthur Nery; Barranco, Isabel; Roca, Jordi; Guerrero Bosagna, Carlos; Rodríguez Martínez, Heriberto; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    A combined Genotyping By Sequencing (GBS) and methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) protocol was used to identify-in parallel-genetic variation (Genomic-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and epigenetic differences of Differentially Methylated Regions (DMR) in the genome of spermatozoa from the porcine animal model. Breeding boars with good semen quality (n = 11) and specific and well-documented differences in fertility (farrowing rate, FR) and prolificacy (litter size, LS) (n = 7) in artificial insemination programs, using combined FR and LS, were categorized as High Fertile (HF, n = 4) or Low Fertile (LF, n = 3), and boars with Unknown Fertility (UF, n = 4) were tested for eventual epigenetical similarity with those fertility-proven. We identified 165,944 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) that explained 14-15% of variance among selection lines. Between HF and LF individuals (n = 7, 4 HF and 3 LF), we identified 169 SNPs with p ≤ 0.00015, which explained 58% of the variance. For the epigenetic analyses, we considered fertility and period of ejaculate collection (late-summer and mid-autumn). Approximately three times more DMRs were observed in HF than in LF boars across these periods. Interestingly, UF boars were clearly clustered with one of the other HF or LF groups. The highest differences in DMRs between HF and LF experimental groups across the pig genome were located in the chr 3, 9, 13, and 16, with most DMRs being hypermethylated in LF boars. In both HF and LF boars, DMRs were mostly hypermethylated in late-summer compared to mid-autumn. Three overlaps were detected between SNPs (p ≤ 0.0005, n = 1318) and CpG sites within DMRs. In conclusion, fertility levels in breeding males including FR and LS can be discerned using methylome analyses. The findings in this biomedical animal model ought to be applied besides sire selection for andrological diagnosis of idiopathic sub/infertility.
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    Sperm proteome after interaction with reproductive fluids in porcine: from the ejaculation to the fertilization site
    (MDPI, 2020-08-22) Luongo, Chiara; Gónzalez-Brusi, Leopoldo; García-Vázquez, Francisco Alberto; Cots Rodríguez, Paula; Izquierdo Rico, María José; Avilés Sánchez, Manuel; Biología Celular e Histología
    Ejaculated sperm are exposed to different environments before encountering the oocyte. However, how the sperm proteome changes during this transit remains unsolved. This study aimed to identify proteomic changes in boar sperm after incubation with male (seminal plasma, SP) and/or female (uterine fluid, UF; and oviductal fluid, OF) reproductive fluids. The following experimental groups were analyzed: (1) SP: sperm + 20% SP; 2) UF: sperm + 20% UF; 3) OF: sperm + 20% OF; 4) SP + UF: sperm + 20% SP + 20% UF; and (5) SP+OF: sperm + 20% SP + 20% OF. The proteome analysis, performed by HPLC-MS/MS, allowed the identification of 265 proteins. A total of 69 proteins were detected in the UF, SP, and SP + UF groups, and 102 proteins in the OF, SP, and SP + OF groups. Our results showed a higher number of proteins when sperm were incubated with only one fluid than when they were co-incubated with two fluids. Additionally, the number of sperm-interacting proteins from the UF group was lower than the OF group. In conclusion, the interaction of sperm with reproductive fluids alters its proteome. The description of sperm-interacting proteins in porcine species after co-incubation with male and/or female reproductive fluids may be useful to understand sperm transport, selection, capacitation, or fertilization phenomena.
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    The transcriptome of pig spermatozoa, and its role in fertility
    (MDPI, 2020-02-25) Álvarez Rodríguez, Manuel; Martínez, Cristina; Wright, Dominic; Barranco, Isabel; Roca, Jordi; Rodríguez Martínez, Heriberto; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    In the study presented here we identified transcriptomic markers for fertility in the cargo of pig ejaculated spermatozoa using porcine-specific micro-arrays (GeneChip® miRNA 4.0 and GeneChip® Porcine Gene 1.0 ST). We report (i) the relative abundance of the ssc-miR-1285, miR-16, miR-4332, miR-92a, miR-671-5p, miR-4334-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-191, miR-92b-5p and miR-15b miRNAs, and (ii) the presence of 347 up-regulated and 174 down-regulated RNA transcripts in high-fertility breeding boars, based on differences of farrowing rate (FS) and litter size (LS), relative to low-fertility boars in the (Artificial Insemination) AI program. An overrepresentation analysis of the protein class (PANTHER) identified significant fold-increases for C-C chemokine binding (GO:0019957): CCR7, which activates B- and T-lymphocytes, 8-fold increase), XCR1 and CXCR4 (with ubiquitin as a natural ligand, 1.24-fold increase), cytokine receptor activity (GO:0005126): IL23R receptor of the IL23 protein, associated to JAK2 and STAT3, 3.4-fold increase), the TGF-receptor (PC00035) genes ACVR1C and ACVR2B (12-fold increase). Moreover, two micro-RNAs (miR-221 and mir-621) were down- and up-regulated, respectively, in high-fertility males. In conclusion, boars with different fertility performance possess a wide variety of differentially expressed RNA present in spermatozoa that would be attractive targets as non-invasive molecular markers for predicting fertility.
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    Total urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) levels in seminal plasma are associated with positive assisted reproductive technology outcomes
    (2018-03-23) Martínez Soto, Juan Carlos; Landeras, José; Mollá, Marta; Mondéjar, Irene; Nicolás, María; Fernández-Olmedilla, Laura; Trabalón Martina; Coy Fuster, Pilar; Gadea Mateos, Joaquín; Gadea Mateos, Joaquín; Fisiología; Facultades de la UMU