Transcriptome analyses using high-throughput methodologies allow a deeper understanding of biological functions in different cell types/tissues. The present study provides an RNA-seq profiling of human sperm mRNAs and lncRNAs (messenger and long non-coding RNAs) in a well-characterized population of fertile individuals. Sperm RNA was extracted from twelve ejaculate samples under strict quality controls. Poly(A)-transcripts were sequenced and aligned to the human genome. mRNAs and lncRNAs were classified according to their mean expression values (FPKM: Fragments Per Kilobase of transcript per Million mapped reads) and integrity. Gene Ontology analysis of the Expressed and Highly Expressed mRNAs showed an involvement in diverse reproduction processes, while the Ubiquitously Expressed and Highly Stable mRNAs were mainly involved in spermatogenesis. Transcription factor enrichment analyses revealed that the Highly Expressed and Ubiquitously Expressed sperm mRNAs were primarily regulated by zinc-fingers and spermatogenesis-related proteins. Regarding the Expressed lncRNAs, only one-third of their potential targets corresponded to Expressed mRNAs and were enriched in cell-cycle regulation processes. The remaining two-thirds were absent in sperm and were enriched in embryogenesis-related processes. A significant amount of post-testicular sperm mRNAs and lncRNAs was also detected. Even though our study is solely directed to the poly-A fraction of sperm transcripts, results indicate that both sperm mRNAs and lncRNAs constitute a footprint of previous spermatogenesis events and are configured to affect the first stages of embryo development.

中文翻译：

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人类精子的 RNA 含量反映了精子发生的先前事件和潜在的受精后影响

使用高通量方法进行转录组分析可以更深入地了解不同细胞类型/组织中的生物学功能。本研究提供了人类精子 mRNA 和 lncRNA（信使和长链非编码 RNA）的 RNA-seq 分析，该分析在一个特征明确的可育个体群体中进行。在严格的质量控制下，从十二个射精样本中提取精子 RNA。Poly(A)-转录本被测序并与人类基因组比对。mRNAs 和 lncRNAs 根据它们的平均表达值（FPKM: Fragments Per Kilobase of transcript per Million mapped reads）和完整性进行分类。表达和高度表达的mRNAs的基因本体分析显示参与多种生殖过程，而普遍表达和高度稳定的mRNAs主要参与精子发生。转录因子富集分析表明，高度表达和普遍表达的精子 mRNA 主要受锌指和精子发生相关蛋白的调节。对于表达的 lncRNA，只有三分之一的潜在靶标对应于表达的 mRNA，并且在细胞周期调节过程中富集。剩下的三分之二在精子中不存在，并且在胚胎发生相关过程中富集。还检测到大量睾丸后精子 mRNA 和 lncRNA。尽管我们的研究仅针对精子转录本的 poly-A 部分，但结果表明，精子 mRNA 和 lncRNA 都构成了先前精子发生事件的足迹，并被配置为影响胚胎发育的第一阶段。