Transcriptional activation of the CXCL gene family locus in mature human sperm in the presence of female-derived reproductive fluid.
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.
- 2Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Sweden.
- 3Department of Forestry, Food Technology, and Environmental Technology, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences , Kouvola, Finland.
- 4Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
- 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, MI, USA.
- 6Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, MI, USA.
- 7Ovumia Kuopio , Kuopio, Finland.
- 8North Karelia Central Hospital , Joensuu, Finland.
Abstract
Mature sperm are widely considered as transcriptionally inactive cells owing to the tight compaction of their chromatin with protamine. However, sperm cells have been demonstrated to retain RNA polymerase subunits, chromatin remodellers, transcription factors, and parts of their chromatin remain in a less condensed, nucleosome-bound configuration. Consequently, some studies have suggested that sperm may be transcriptionally more active than previously assumed. Here, we tested this possibility by exposing mature human sperm to follicular fluid (FF), a bioactive liquid surrounding the oocyte. Using RNA sequencing, we first observed that FF exposure alters the sperm transcriptome. To resolve whether the observed upregulation of selected candidate genes resulted from the transcriptional activation of these genes in sperm, we labelled newly synthesized RNAs with 5-ethynyl uridine. Our results suggest that FF may trigger de novo transcription of sperm CXCL8 and CXCL3 genes and indicate that some follicular-fluid-derived transcripts are selectively transferred into sperm. Collectively, these findings suggest that specific sperm genes may become transcriptionally active in the presence of biologically relevant stimuli, potentially preparing sperm for fertilization and early embryo development. Furthermore, we envisage that activated sperm genes can have novel implications for the deeper mechanistic understanding of sexual selection.
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BibTeX
@article{turunen2026transcriptional,
title = {{Transcriptional activation of the CXCL gene family locus in mature human sperm in the presence of female-derived reproductive fluid.}},
author = {Tanja Turunen and Marjo Malinen and Sami Heikkinen and Merja Heinäniemi and Stephen A Krawetz and Grace M Swanson and Enni Linnavirta and Pia Allinen and Liisa Kuusipalo and Jukka Kekäläinen},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2025.3286},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901517},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Transcriptional activation of the CXCL gene family locus in mature human sperm in the presence of female-derived reproductive fluid.
AU - Tanja Turunen
AU - Marjo Malinen
AU - Sami Heikkinen
AU - Merja Heinäniemi
AU - Stephen A Krawetz
AU - Grace M Swanson
AU - Enni Linnavirta
AU - Pia Allinen
AU - Liisa Kuusipalo
AU - Jukka Kekäläinen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Proceedings. Biological sciences
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2025.3286
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901517
AB - Mature sperm are widely considered as transcriptionally inactive cells owing to the tight compaction of their chromatin with protamine. However, sperm cells have been demonstrated to retain RNA polymerase subunits, chromatin remodellers, transcription factors, and parts of their chromatin remain in a less condensed, nucleosome-bound configuration. Consequently, some studies have suggested that sperm may be transcriptionally more active than previously assumed. Here, we tested this possibility by exposing mature human sperm to follicular fluid (FF), a bioactive liquid surrounding the oocyte. Using RNA sequencing, we first observed that FF exposure alters the sperm transcriptome. To resolve whether the observed upregulation of selected candidate genes resulted from the transcriptional activation of these genes in sperm, we labelled newly synthesized RNAs with 5-ethynyl uridine. Our results suggest that FF may trigger de novo transcription of sperm CXCL8 and CXCL3 genes and indicate that some follicular-fluid-derived transcripts are selectively transferred into sperm. Collectively, these findings suggest that specific sperm genes may become transcriptionally active in the presence of biologically relevant stimuli, potentially preparing sperm for fertilization and early embryo development. Furthermore, we envisage that activated sperm genes can have novel implications for the deeper mechanistic understanding of sexual selection.
SN - 0962-8452
SN - 1471-2954
ER -