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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NCJournal of animal science and technology

Correlation between PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway-related protein levels and sperm motility in Duroc Boars.

  • Seung-Ik Jang1
  • Jae-Hwan Jo1
  • Claudine Uwamahoro1
  • Eun-Ju Jung1
  • Woo-Jin Lee1
  • Jeong-Won Bae1
  • Chanwool Park2,3
  • Junkoo Yi3
  • Daehyun Kim4,5
  • Joonho Moon6
  • Dong Yep Oh7
  • Jae Jung Ha8
1 more authors
  • Woo-Sung Kwon1,9
9 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju, Korea.
  2. 2Gyeonggi Province Livestock Promotion Center, Gyeonggi-do Provincial Government, Suwon, Korea.
  3. 3School of Animal Life Convergence Science, Hankyong National University, Anseong, Korea.
  4. 4Department of Animal Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea.
  5. 5ARIF Inc., Naju, Korea.
  6. 6Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
  7. 7Gyeongbuk Livestock Research Institute, Yeongju, Korea.
  8. 8Hanwoo Digital Information Center, Hanwooboard, Seoul, Korea.
  9. 9Research Institute for Innovative Animal Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju, Korea.
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Abstract

Male infertility is an increasing global health concern, with reduced sperm motility being a major contributing factor. Among various molecular mechanisms, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway has been identified as a key regulator of sperm function, particularly motility. However, the relationship between this pathway and sperm motility is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the correlation between sperm motility and the levels of PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway-related proteins in Duroc boar spermatozoa. Sperm motility was assessed using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA), and protein levels were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results revealed significant correlations between signaling components and specific motility parameters. Notably, PI3K levels were negatively correlated with beat cross frequency (BCF), suggesting that excessive activation may impair flagellar motion. In contrast, phosphorylated PDK1 (p-PDK1) and AKT phosphorylated at Thr308 and Ser473 were positively correlated with progressive motility (PRG), supporting a role for AKT activation in enhancing forward movement. Interestingly, both PTEN and phosphorylated PTEN (p-PTEN) showed positive correlations with various velocity parameters, indicating a potential regulatory role in modulating AKT activity to maintain optimal motility patterns. While these findings enhance our understanding of sperm motility regulation, limitations include reliance on the correlation analysis and the absence of direct enzymatic activity measurements. Additionally, these results are specific to Duroc boar spermatozoa and may not be directly applicable to other species. Nonetheless, this study provides foundational insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying sperm motility and underscores the importance of the PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway in male fertility.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{jang2026correlation,
  title = {{Correlation between PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway-related protein levels and sperm motility in Duroc Boars.}},
  author = {Seung-Ik Jang and Jae-Hwan Jo and Claudine Uwamahoro and Eun-Ju Jung and Woo-Jin Lee and Jeong-Won Bae and Chanwool Park and Junkoo Yi and Daehyun Kim and Joonho Moon and Dong Yep Oh and Jae Jung Ha and Woo-Sung Kwon},
  journal = {Journal of animal science and technology},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.5187/jast.2500234},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898861},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Correlation between PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway-related protein levels and sperm motility in Duroc Boars.
AU  - Seung-Ik Jang
AU  - Jae-Hwan Jo
AU  - Claudine Uwamahoro
AU  - Eun-Ju Jung
AU  - Woo-Jin Lee
AU  - Jeong-Won Bae
AU  - Chanwool Park
AU  - Junkoo Yi
AU  - Daehyun Kim
AU  - Joonho Moon
AU  - Dong Yep Oh
AU  - Jae Jung Ha
AU  - Woo-Sung Kwon
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
JO  - Journal of animal science and technology
DO  - 10.5187/jast.2500234
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898861
AB  - Male infertility is an increasing global health concern, with reduced sperm motility being a major contributing factor. Among various molecular mechanisms, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway has been identified as a key regulator of sperm function, particularly motility. However, the relationship between this pathway and sperm motility is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the correlation between sperm motility and the levels of PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway-related proteins in Duroc boar spermatozoa. Sperm motility was assessed using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA), and protein levels were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results revealed significant correlations between signaling components and specific motility parameters. Notably, PI3K levels were negatively correlated with beat cross frequency (BCF), suggesting that excessive activation may impair flagellar motion. In contrast, phosphorylated PDK1 (p-PDK1) and AKT phosphorylated at Thr308 and Ser473 were positively correlated with progressive motility (PRG), supporting a role for AKT activation in enhancing forward movement. Interestingly, both PTEN and phosphorylated PTEN (p-PTEN) showed positive correlations with various velocity parameters, indicating a potential regulatory role in modulating AKT activity to maintain optimal motility patterns. While these findings enhance our understanding of sperm motility regulation, limitations include reliance on the correlation analysis and the absence of direct enzymatic activity measurements. Additionally, these results are specific to Duroc boar spermatozoa and may not be directly applicable to other species. Nonetheless, this study provides foundational insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying sperm motility and underscores the importance of the PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway in male fertility.
SN  - 2055-0391
ER  -