Dynamics of the Transcriptome during Human Spermatogenesis: Predicting the Potential Key Genes Regulating Male Gametes Generation

Many infertile men are the victims of spermatogenesis disorder. However, conventional clinical test could not provide efficient information on the causes of spermatogenesis disorder and guide the doctor how to treat it. More effective diagnosis and treating methods could be developed if the key genes that regulate spermatogenesis were determined. Many works have been done on animal models, while there are few works on human beings due to the limited sample resources. In current work, testis tissues were obtained from 27 patients with obstructive azoospermia via surgery. The combination of Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting and Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting was chosen as the efficient method to sort typical germ cells during spermatogenesis. RNA Sequencing was carried out to screen the change of transcriptomic profile of the germ cells during spermatogenesis. Differential expressed genes were clustered according to their expression patterns. Gene Ontology annotation, pathway analysis, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were carried out on genes with specific expression patterns and the potential key genes such as HOXs, JUN, SP1, and TCF3 which were involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis, with the potential value serve as molecular tools for clinical purpose, were predicted.