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Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility

Infertility has been reported as one of the most common reproductive impairments, affecting nearly one in six couples worldwide. A large proportion of infertility cases are diagnosed as idiopathic, signifying a deficit in information surrounding the pathology of infertility and necessity of medical...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Zhu, Qifan, Kirby, Jane Allyn, Chu, Chen, Gou, Lan-Tao
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8698561/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34944700
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9121884
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author Zhu, Qifan
Kirby, Jane Allyn
Chu, Chen
Gou, Lan-Tao
author_facet Zhu, Qifan
Kirby, Jane Allyn
Chu, Chen
Gou, Lan-Tao
author_sort Zhu, Qifan
collection PubMed
description Infertility has been reported as one of the most common reproductive impairments, affecting nearly one in six couples worldwide. A large proportion of infertility cases are diagnosed as idiopathic, signifying a deficit in information surrounding the pathology of infertility and necessity of medical intervention such as assisted reproductive therapy. Small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) are well-established regulators of mammalian reproduction. Advanced technologies have revealed the dynamic expression and diverse functions of sncRNAs during mammalian germ cell development. Mounting evidence indicates sncRNAs in sperm, especially microRNAs (miRNAs) and transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), are sensitive to environmental changes and mediate the inheritance of paternally acquired metabolic and mental traits. Here, we review the critical roles of sncRNAs in mammalian germ cell development. Furthermore, we highlight the functions of sperm-borne sncRNAs in epigenetic inheritance. We also discuss evidence supporting sncRNAs as promising biomarkers for fertility and embryo quality in addition to the present limitations of using sncRNAs for infertility diagnosis and treatment.
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spelling pubmed-86985612021-12-24 Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility Zhu, Qifan Kirby, Jane Allyn Chu, Chen Gou, Lan-Tao Biomedicines Review Infertility has been reported as one of the most common reproductive impairments, affecting nearly one in six couples worldwide. A large proportion of infertility cases are diagnosed as idiopathic, signifying a deficit in information surrounding the pathology of infertility and necessity of medical intervention such as assisted reproductive therapy. Small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) are well-established regulators of mammalian reproduction. Advanced technologies have revealed the dynamic expression and diverse functions of sncRNAs during mammalian germ cell development. Mounting evidence indicates sncRNAs in sperm, especially microRNAs (miRNAs) and transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), are sensitive to environmental changes and mediate the inheritance of paternally acquired metabolic and mental traits. Here, we review the critical roles of sncRNAs in mammalian germ cell development. Furthermore, we highlight the functions of sperm-borne sncRNAs in epigenetic inheritance. We also discuss evidence supporting sncRNAs as promising biomarkers for fertility and embryo quality in addition to the present limitations of using sncRNAs for infertility diagnosis and treatment. MDPI 2021-12-12 /pmc/articles/PMC8698561/ /pubmed/34944700 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9121884 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Review
Zhu, Qifan
Kirby, Jane Allyn
Chu, Chen
Gou, Lan-Tao
Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility
title Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility
title_full Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility
title_fullStr Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility
title_full_unstemmed Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility
title_short Small Noncoding RNAs in Reproduction and Infertility
title_sort small noncoding rnas in reproduction and infertility
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8698561/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34944700
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9121884
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