Volume 33, Issue 161 (November & December 2025)                   J Adv Med Biomed Res 2025, 33(161): 273-283 | Back to browse issues page

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Saberi F, Dehghan Z, Gholijani N, Mehdinejadiani S, Taheri Z, Moayedi J, et al . Transcriptomic Changes in Patients with Severely Impaired Spermatogenesis: A Systems Biology Study. J Adv Med Biomed Res 2025; 33 (161) :273-283
URL: http://journal.zums.ac.ir/article-1-7684-en.html
Transcriptomic Changes in Patients with Severely Impaired Spermatogenesis: A Systems Biology Study
Fatemeh Saberi1 , Zeinab Dehghan2 , Nasser Gholijani3 , Shayesteh Mehdinejadiani4 , Zahra Taheri5 , Javad Moayedi6 , Sara Mortezaali7 , Hakimeh Zali *8
1- Student Research Committee, Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran & Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3- Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
5- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Pavia University, Pavia, Italy
6- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
7- Department of Biotechnology, Biological Faculty, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
8- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , HakimehZali@gmail.com
Abstract:   (425 Views)

Background & Objective: Male infertility is a common condition, affecting approximately 7% of men worldwide. Spermatogenesis, the production of mature sperm cells, is tightly regulated by several genes and, dysregulation of these genes can impair normal spermatogenesis. This study aimed to identify key genes involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis.
 Materials & Methods: We extracted transcriptomic data from testicular samples of patients with impaired spermatogenesis and normal controls (GSE145467, 10 patients and 10 control) from the GEO database. A protein–protein interaction network (PPIN) was constructed using the STRING database and visualized with Cytoscape v3.10.1. Network clusters were identified using the MCODE plugin. In addition, an lncRNA–miRNA–gene regulatory network was constructed, and key genes were identified using Cytoscape software. Finally, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of the key genes was performed using the DAVID and TAM 2.0 servers.
Results:  CDK1, KIF11, AURKA, TEKT1, TUBB4B, CDC25C, ENKUR, CALM3, CCDC39, TYMS, PRKACB, PRKACG, FAM166C, TMEM249, GTF2A2, NRAV lncRNA, miR-1, miR-9, and miR-27b were identified as novel crucial genes in the PPIN and gene regulatory network (GRN). Functional and pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these genes are involved in gap junction communication, long-term potentiation, GnRH signaling, motor protein function, basal transcription factor activity, cell cycle regulation, inflammation, apoptosis, hormone-mediated signaling, and tumor suppressor miRNA pathways.
Conclusion:  This multi-layered systems biology analysis identified key genes and pathways associated with spermatogenic failure. Further experimental validation is needed to confirm these findings and evaluate their potential as therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Infertility, Spermatogenesis, Systems Biology, Transcriptome
     
Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Medical Biology
Received: 2025/05/22 | Accepted: 2025/11/11 | Published: 2025/12/12
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