2. Academic Validation
  3. Multigenerational paternal obesity enhances the susceptibility to male subfertility in offspring via Wt1 N6-methyladenosine modification

Multigenerational paternal obesity enhances the susceptibility to male subfertility in offspring via Wt1 N6-methyladenosine modification

  • Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 14;15(1):1353. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45675-4.
Yong-Wei Xiong # 1 2,  Hua-Long Zhu # 1 2,  Jin Zhang # 1 2,  Hao Geng # 3 4 5,  Lu-Lu Tan 1 2,  Xin-Mei Zheng 1 2,  Hao Li 1 2,  Long-Long Fan 1 2,  Xin-Run Wang 1 2,  Xu-Dong Zhang 1 2,  Kai-Wen Wang 1 2,  Wei Chang 1 2,  Yu-Feng Zhang 1 2,  Zhi Yuan 1 2,  Zong-Liu Duan 3 4 5,  Yun-Xia Cao 3 4 5,  Xiao-Jin He 6 7,  De-Xiang Xu 8 9 10,  Hua Wang 11 12 13
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China.
  • 3 Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
  • 4 NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract (Anhui Medical University), Hefei, China.
  • 5 Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Hefei, China.
  • 6 NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract (Anhui Medical University), Hefei, China. [email protected].
  • 7 Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
  • 8 Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. [email protected].
  • 9 Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China. [email protected].
  • 10 Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Hefei, China. [email protected].
  • 11 Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. [email protected].
  • 12 Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China. [email protected].
  • 13 Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Hefei, China. [email protected].
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 38355624 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45675-4
Abstract

There is strong evidence that obesity is a risk factor for poor semen quality. However, the effects of multigenerational paternal obesity on the susceptibility to cadmium (a reproductive toxicant)-induced spermatogenesis disorders in offspring remain unknown. Here, we show that, in mice, spermatogenesis and retinoic acid levels become progressively lower as the number of generations exposed to a high-fat diet increase. Furthermore, exposing several generations of mice to a high fat diet results in a decrease in the expression of Wt1, a transcription factor upstream of the enzymes that synthesize retinoic acid. These effects can be rescued by injecting adeno-associated virus 9-Wt1 into the mouse testes of the offspring. Additionally, multigenerational paternal high-fat diet progressively increases METTL3 and Wt1 N6-methyladenosine levels in the testes of offspring mice. Mechanistically, treating the fathers with STM2457, a METTL3 Inhibitor, restores obesity-reduced sperm count, and decreases Wt1 N6-methyladenosine level in the mouse testes of the offspring. A case-controlled study shows that human donors who are overweight or obese exhibit elevated N6-methyladenosine levels in sperm and decreased sperm concentration. Collectively, these results indicate that multigenerational paternal obesity enhances the susceptibility of the offspring to spermatogenesis disorders by increasing METTL3-mediated Wt1 N6-methyladenosine modification.

Figures
Products