Open AccessProgesterone activates the cyclic AMP-protein kinase A signalling pathway by upregulating ABHD2 in fertile men
Author(s) -
Feng Jiang,
Yong Zhu,
Ying Chen,
Xiaofeng Tang,
Liu Liu,
Guowu Chen,
Yulin Liu,
Xiaoxi Sun
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of international medical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1473-2300
pISSN - 0300-0605
DOI - 10.1177/0300060521999527
Subject(s) - protein kinase a , western blot , male infertility , infertility , messenger rna , medicine , andrology , sperm , endocrinology , gene , kinase , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , pregnancy , genetics
Objective This was a prospective study to investigate whether progesterone affects sperm activity by regulating the cyclic AMP-protein kinase A (cAMP-PKA) signalling pathway via α/β hydrolase domain-containing protein 2 (ABHD2).Methods Spermatozoa were collected from healthy and infertile men (with oligoasthenospermia or abnormal acrosome; n = 30/group). The expression of and mutations in ABHD2 were detected by quantitative PCR, western blot, and gene sequencing. The expression of ABHD2 in the presence of progesterone was detected in all groups, and cAMP and PKA levels were detected by ELISA in fertile men after treatment with ABHD2 antibody and PKA inhibitor H-89, respectively.Results Expression of ABHD2 mRNA and protein were reduced in spermatozoa from infertile compared with fertile men. Four gene mutation sites were detected in spermatozoa from the infertile groups. Progesterone increased mRNA and protein levels of ABHD2 in healthy spermatozoa but not in spermatozoa from infertile men. The levels of cAMP and PKA were increased by progesterone in healthy spermatozoa, and the progesterone-increased cAMP and PKA were decreased by ABHD2 antibody and H-89, respectively.Conclusion Progesterone regulates the ABHD2-mediated cAMP-PKA signalling pathway in healthy spermatozoa, which provides a new target for clinical diagnosis and treatment of infertility.