Oxidative stress & spermatogenesis: Presentation of the recent scientific advances

The scientific committee of Paris Redox 2017 is pleased to welcoming Dr Astrid Borchert from Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Germany who will give a presentation about “Male subfertility induced by heterozygous expression of catalytically inactive glutathione peroxidase 4 is rescued in vivo by systemic inactivation of the15-lipoxygenase gene”.

According to Dr Borchert, "The cellular redox state is a key regulator of cell function. Pro-oxidative lipoxygensases and anti-oxidative glutathione peroxidases are important enzymes balancing the intracellular redox homeostatsis. Among these enzymes the 12/15-lipoxgenase (Alox15) and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) are unique, because of their capability to accept complex lipids as substrate. The two enzymes are functional counterplayers in the metabolism of complex hydroperoxy lipids. [...] Systemic inactivation of the Alox15 gene does not induce major phenotype alterations unless the animals were challenged otherwise. However, more detailed reproduction studies indicated subfertility of male Alox15 knockout mice.

In order to explore the in vivo interaction of Alox15 and Gpx4 we first created knockin mice, which express a catalytically silent version of Gpx4. [...] Interestingly, systemic expression silencing of Alox15 rescued male subfertility and improved the motility of their sperm. These changes were paralleled by an enhanced cellular respiration of the sperms."

If you are interested to know all the details of this study, don't hesitate and register to Paris Redox 2017: www.isanh.net