2. Academic Validation
  3. The immunity-related GTPase IRGC mediates interaction between lipid droplets and mitochondria to facilitate sperm motility

The immunity-related GTPase IRGC mediates interaction between lipid droplets and mitochondria to facilitate sperm motility

  • FEBS Lett. 2023 Jun;597(12):1595-1605. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.14640.
Jinyu Li 1 2,  Xiaohui Xu 2,  Jiane Liu 1 2,  Sudan Zhang 2,  Tuanlao Wang 3,  Yifei Liu 4 5,  Zheng Wang 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, China.
  • 2 Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Basic Medical College, Qingdao University, China.
  • 3 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research, Xiamen University, China.
  • 4 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
  • 5 Greenwich Hospital Fertility Center, Greenwich Hospital, CT, USA.
PMID: 37195149 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14640
Abstract

The immunity-related GTPases (IRGs) belong to the interferon-inducible GTPase protein family, which mediates cell autonomous and innate immunity response to intracellular pathogens. Yet, the cellular and physiological function of IRGC, a member of the IRG subfamily, has not been elucidated. Here, we show that testis-specific IRGC is specifically and highly expressed in mature spermatozoa and is required for sperm motility. IRGC induction results in the clustering of lipid droplets and initiation of their physical contact with mitochondria. When examining clinical semen samples, IRGC expression is significantly lower in asthenozoospermia patients relative to healthy individuals. These unique effects of IRGC identify it as an important player in sperm motility, and show the potential of lipid metabolism-targeting therapeutic intervention aimed at controlling asthenozoospermia.

Keywords

IRGC; asthenozoospermia; lipid droplet; mitochondria; spermatogenesis.

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