Mitochondrial ferritin deficiency reduces male fertility in mice

作者：Maccarinelli Federica; Regoni Maria; Carmona Fernando; Poli Maura; Meyron Holtz Esther G; Arosio Paolo^*

来源：Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 2017, 29(10): 2005-2010.

DOI：10.1071/RD16348

• ATP
• spermatogenesis
• sperm motility

Mitochondrial ferritin (FtMt) is a functional ferritin targeted to mitochondria that is highly expressed in the testis. To investigate the role of FtMt in the testis we set up a series of controlled matings between FtMt gene-deletion mice (FtMt(-/-)) with FtMt(+/+) mice. We found that the number of newborns per litter and the fertility rate were strongly reduced for the FtMt(-/-) males, but not for the females, indicating that FtMt has an important role for male fertility. The morphology of the testis and of the spermatozoa of FtMt(-/-) mice was normal and we did not detect alterations in sperm parameters or in oxidative stress indices. In contrast, we observed that the cauda epididymides of FtMt(-/-) mice were significantly lighter and contained a lower number of spermatozoa compared with the controls. Also, the ATP content of FtMt(-/-) spermatozoa was found to be lower than that of FtMt(+/+) spermatozoa. These data show that FtMt contributes to sperm epididymis maturation and to male fertility.

• 出版日期2017-9