Abstract
Male infertility depends on both sperm and seminal plasma and is induced by aging. In this study, male infertility was examined with seminal plasma and its synthesis mechanism. The factors ensuring in vivo fertilization potential was secreted from seminal vesicle where the factors were synthesized in an androgen-dependent manner. Androgen increased glucose uptake and glycolytic capacity in seminal vesicles, which caused activation of oleic acid synthesis rather than mitochondrial ATP synthesis. ACLY was identified as a key player in this metabolic mechanism for producing oleic acid that was incorporated into the sperm and enhanced fertilization potential in vivo. In conclusion, an important role of testosterone-induced metabolic pathways in the seminal vesicle was to ensure the synthesis of oleic acid, which is essential for sperm fertilization in vivo. These results provide new perspectives for the development of biochemical markers of semen to assess male fertility and for artificial insemination techniques.
One Sentence Summary Testosterone induces ACLY expression in seminal vesicle, a key factor of forming seminal plasma to acquire in vivo fertilization ability of sperm.
Competing Interest Statement
Masayuki Shimada holds stocks in and receives a salary from Hiroshima Cryopreservation Service Co. as a director. In addition, Masayuki Shimada has received royalties and grants from Hiroshima Cryopreservation Service Co. Masayuki Shimada has received consulting fees from Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.. Takashi Umehara holds stocks in and receives a salary from Lullabio Inc. as a director and has received honoraria from Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The other authors declare they have no competing interests.
Footnotes
Figure 5 and Figure 7 revised
