ArticleCellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS2025
Epididymal epithelial cells facilitate NEU1 loading to modulate sperm α-2,6 sialylation, enhance maturation and motility.
Article in Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Identification and Functional Analysis of miRNAs in the Cauda Epididymis of Yak and Cattle.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMale infertility is a prevalent reproductive disorder worldwide, with decreased sperm quality-particularly reduced motility and fertilization capacity-being one of its common causes. Sperm maturation is a complex process involving multiple molecular mechanisms, the specific pathways regulating sperm motility remain unclear and require further investigation. Among these mechanisms, sialylation serves as an important glycosylation modification during sperm maturation and capacitation, playing a crucial role in these processes. Nonetheless, the specific function of Neuraminidase-1 (NEU1), a kind of sialidase, in sperm maturation and function remains poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the origin and function of NEU1 in sperm, as well as its impact on sperm motility and fertilization potential, providing new insights into its role in male infertility.
methodsA combination of computational prediction and experimental validation was used to assess the expression profile of sialylation-related enzymes in the male reproductive tract, identifying NEU1 as a candidate for further investigation. Immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and flow cytometry were performed to analyze the expression pattern of NEU1 in human and murine sperm. Functional studies were conducted by inhibiting NEU1 activity to examine its effects on sperm motility and fertilization capacity. Additionally, NEU1 expression was compared between asthenozoospermic and normozoospermic individuals, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) assays were performed to evaluate its role in fertilization. Furthermore, a murine model was used to explore the origin of NEU1 during sperm maturation, particularly focusing on whether it is secreted and transferred onto sperm by epididymal epithelial cells.
resultsThis study demonstrated that NEU1 is highly expressed in both human and murine sperm, and its expression level is closely associated with sperm motility and fertilization capacity. Sperm with higher motility exhibited significantly elevated NEU1 expression, which positively correlated with sperm kinematic parameters such as velocity and linearity. Inhibition of NEU1 activity resulted in a marked decline in sperm motility and fertilization potential. Furthermore, NEU1 is secreted by epididymal epithelial cells and subsequently transferred to the sperm surface. It regulates α-2,6 sialylation, thereby influencing sperm maturation, energy metabolism, and capacitation. IVF assays further confirmed a significant correlation between NEU1 expression and fertilization success.
conclusionThis study identifies NEU1 as a key regulatory enzyme on the sperm surface, directly influencing sperm motility and fertilization capacity. NEU1 is secreted by epididymal epithelial cells and transferred onto sperm, mediating sialylation modifications and regulating sperm capacitation and metabolic processes. These findings provide novel insights into the functional role of sialidases in sperm maturation and function, offering potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.