Dear Editor, Sperm transport in the female genital tract is physiologically important for mammalian fertilization. The female reproductive system contains multiple natural selective barriers, such as successful uterotubal junction (UTJ) migration and zona pellucida (ZP) binding, to ensure sperm with normal motility and morphology to transmit into oviduct for fertilization (Yanagimachi, 1994; Ik...

TEX101, a germ cell-specific glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored glycoprotein, is associated with Ly6k during spermatogenesis in testis. Although both Tex101(-/-) and Ly6k(-/-) mice can produce morphologically intact spermatozoa, both knockout mice show an infertile phenotype due to a disorder of spermatozoa to migrate into the oviduct. Since Ly6k specifically interacts with TEX101, co...

BACKGROUND TEX101 is a cell membrane protein exclusively expressed by testicular germ cells and shed into seminal plasma. We previously verified human TEX101 as a biomarker for the differential diagnosis of azoospermia, and developed a first-of-its-kind TEX101 ELISA. To demonstrate the clinical utility of TEX101, in this work we aimed at evaluating ELISA performance in a large population of fer...

Several studies exhibit the presence of Ricinus Communis Agglutinin I (RCA) binding glycocalyx in mammalian spermatozoa. However, the molecular characterization of RCA binding glycocalyx in sperm membranes and its mechanism of action are poorly understood. The objective of the study was to identify and to characterize RCA binding glycoprotein of the bovine sperm plasma membranes (PM). Lectin bl...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women around the world so finding new biomarkers for early detection and also study on molecular aspects of breast cancer is valuable. Cancer testis genes are a group of genes expressed solely in testis and in a range of human malignancies. OBJECTIVES In this study we determined the expression of cancer testis genes Tsga10, TEX101 and ...

We evaluated whether inhibiting gene expression by small interfering RNA (siRNA) can be used for an in vivo model using a germ cell-specific gene (Tex101) as a model target in mouse testis. We generated plasmid-based expression vectors of siRNA targeting the Tex101 gene and transfected them into postnatal day 10 mouse testes by in vivo electroporation. After optimizing the electroporation condi...

background breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women around the world so finding new biomarkers for early detection and also study on molecular aspects of breast cancer is valuable. cancer testis genes are a group of genes expressed solely in testis and in a range of human malignancies. objectives in this study we determined the expression of cancer testis genes tsga10, tex101 and od...

Male infertility remains a struggle to definitively diagnose and treat with many men labelled as "idiopathic infertility" and eventually requiring assisted reproductive techniques.  Along those lines, research groups are continuing to explore current social and environmental factors, including the obesity epidemic, and their effects on male fertility potential.  Novel biomarkers of natural fert...