Endocrine Abstracts

Tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins is one of the main processes associated with the development of some specific functions of ejaculated human spermatozoa. Although this process, as well as the identity of the phosphorylated targets, has been well characterized, only few tyrosine kinases (TKs) have been identified so far. Moreover, their roles in regulating sperm functions are still unknown.In the present work, we report the presence and localization o...

SUMOylation is a post-translational protein modification involved in the regulation of essential cell functions. Our group found several SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3ylated proteins in human ejaculated spermatozoa (Marchiani et al. 2011). We showed that SUMO-1 is mainly present in live spermatozoa and the percentage of SUMOylated spermatozoa was inversely correlated with total and progressive motility. SUMOylated proteins are mainly located in the nucleus and in the midpiece. T...

CATSPER is a family of sperm-specific calcium channels activated by P in human spermatozoa (Lishko et al. 2011, Strunker et al. 2011). KO mice for CATSPER are infertile due to severe defects in sperm motility.We studied the involvement of CATSPER in human sperm motility and P responsiveness.Western blot analysis with an anti-CATSPER1 antibody demonstrated the presence of three major bands corresponding to CATSPER1...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of tumor death in Western countries. Modifications in expression and functional alterations that involve the androgen receptor (AR) have been implicated in the progression of PCa and in the development of androgen independence; however, the role of AR in these processes is still debated, as contrasting results have been reported in several studies evaluating the relation between AR expression and disease progression (Tamburrin...

Tests detecting sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) could be included in the clinical management of male infertility. TUNEL/PI is an innovative version of the TUNEL assay, and it is able to distinguish between two different populations: PI brighter and PI dimmer sperm. The aims of the study were to determine the average value of SDF in recruited men of proven fertility and to verify whether SDF discriminates between fertile and subfertile men independently from semen quality. In add...

Background: Since the preliminary epidemiological data concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been availabe, clear sex disparity has been evident, with males, although not more frequently affected, often experiencing worse outcomes when compared to women. The short and long term andrological effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not been clarified. The aim of the present study is to systematically review and meta-analyze all available data regardi...