Decreased miR-149 expression in sperm is correlated with the quality of early embryonic development in conventional in vitro fertilization
Hongping Li, Lejun Li, Chuanping Lin, Minhao Hu, Xiaozhen Liu, Liya Wang, Le Fang, Fan Jin
Abstract
miRNAs play a critical role in the regulation of highly orchestrated gene expression profiles during spermatogenesis and early human embryonic development. However, there is much less information available on the effects of sperm-borne miRNAs on human embryonic development than on spermatogenesis. This study was designed to assess the relationship between two sperm-borne miRNAs (miR-34c and miR-149) and preimplantation embryo development in conventional in vitro fertilization treatment. A positive correlation was seen between a decreased level of miR-149 and a higher percentage of good-quality embryos on day 3 in conventional in vitro fertilization treatment (P < 0.0001), but no correlation was seen between miR-34c and a higher percentage of good-quality embryos (P = 0.1084). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis and logistic regression analysis showed that sperm-borne miR-149 with decreased expression was significantly associated with a high rate of good-quality embryos (area under the curve 0.781) (odds ratio: 0.078, 95 % confidence interval: 0.024-0.259, P < 0.0001). Our results demonstrate that the expression profile of miR-149 with significantly decreased expression could be used as a first indication of early embryonic development and may provide novel insight into the biological background of idiopathic infertile males.