PUBLICATION

Type I Diabetes in Zebrafish Reduces Sperm Quality and Increases Insulin and Glucose Transporter Transcripts

Authors
Diogo, P., Martins, G., Simão, M., Marreiros, A., Eufrásio, A.C., Cabrita, E., Gavaia, P.J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-230429-54
Date
2023
Source
International Journal of Molecular Sciences   24(8): (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
DNA integrity, sperm motility, type I diabetes, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cryopreservation
  • DNA/metabolism
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1*/metabolism
  • Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative/metabolism
  • Humans
  • Insulin/metabolism
  • Insulin, Regular, Human
  • Male
  • Sperm Motility
  • Spermatozoa/metabolism
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/metabolism
PubMed
37108202 Full text @ Int. J. Mol. Sci.
Abstract
Type I diabetes is a prominent human pathology with increasing incidence in the population; however, its cause is still unknown. This disease promotes detrimental effects on reproduction, such as lower sperm motility and DNA integrity. Hence, the investigation of the underlying mechanisms of this metabolic disturbance in reproduction and its transgenerational consequences is of the utmost importance. The zebrafish is a useful model for this research considering its high homology with human genes as well as its fast generation and regeneration abilities. Therefore, we aimed to investigate sperm quality and genes relevant to diabetes in the spermatozoa of Tg(ins:nfsb-mCherry) zebrafish, a model for type I diabetes. Diabetic Tg(ins:nfsb-mCherry) males showed significantly higher expression of transcripts for insulin a (insa) and glucose transporter (slc2a2) compared to controls. Sperm obtained from the same treatment group showed significantly lower sperm motility, plasma membrane viability, and DNA integrity compared to that from the control group. Upon sperm cryopreservation, sperm freezability was reduced, which could be a consequence of poor initial sperm quality. Altogether, the data showed similar detrimental effects related to type I diabetes in zebrafish spermatozoa at the cellular and molecular levels. Therefore, our study validates the zebrafish model for type I diabetes research in germ cells.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping