Testis-enriched kinesin KIF9 is important for progressive motility in mouse spermatozoa

Miyata, H., Shimada, K., Morohoshi, A., Oura, S., Matsumura, T., Xu, Z., . . . Ikawa, M. (2020). Testis-enriched kinesin KIF9 is important for progressive motility in mouse spermatozoa. FASEB Journal, 34(4), 5389-5400. doi:10.1096/fj.201902755

Nexin-Dynein regulatory complex component DRC7 but not FBXL13 is required for sperm flagellum formation and male fertility in mice

Nexin-Dynein regulatory complex component DRC7 but not FBXL13 is required for sperm flagellum formation and male fertility in mice. Morohoshi A, Miyata H, Shimada K, Nozawa K, Matsumura T, et al. PLOS Genetics. 2020. 16(1) doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.100858

RSPH6A is required for sperm flagellum formation and male fertility in mice

The flagellum is an evolutionarily conserved appendage used for sensing and locomotion. Its backbone is the axoneme and a component of the axoneme is the radial spoke (RS), a protein complex implicated in flagellar motility regulation. Numerous diseases occur if the axoneme is improperly formed, such as primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and infertility. Radial spoke head 6 homolog A (RSPH6A) is an ortholog of Chlamydomonas RSP6 in the RS head and is evolutionarily conserved. While some RS head proteins have been linkedtoPCD, littleisknown about RSPH6A. Here, weshow that mouse RSPH6A is testis-enriched and localized in the flagellum. Rsph6a knockout (KO) male mice are infertile as a result of their short immotile spermatozoa. Observation of the KO testis indicates that the axoneme can elongate but is disrupted before accessory structures are formed. Manchette removal is also impaired in the KO testis. Further, RSPH9, another radial spoke protein, disappeared in the Rsph6a KO flagella. These data indicate that RSPH6A is essential for sperm flagellar assembly and male fertility in mice. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland

Promoting fertility awareness and preconception health using a chatbot: a randomized controlled trial

Research question What are the effects of using a fertility education chatbot, i.e. automatic conversation programme, on knowledge, intentions to improve preconception behaviour and anxiety? Design A three-armed, randomized controlled trial was conducted using an online social research panel. Participants included 927 women aged 20–34 years who were randomly allocated to one of three groups: a fertility education chatbot (intervention group), a document about fertility and preconception health (control group 1) or a document about an irrelevant topic (control group 2). Participants’ scores on the Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, their intentions to optimize preconception behaviours, e.g. taking folic acid, and the free-text feedback provided by chatbot users were assessed. Results A repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant fertility knowledge gains after the intervention in the intervention group (+9.1 points) and control group 1 (+14.9 points) but no significant change in control group 2 (+1.1 points). Post-test increases in the intentions to optimize behaviours were significantly higher in the intervention group than in control group 2, and were similar to those in control group 1. Post-test state anxiety scores were significantly lower in the intervention group than in control group 1 and control group 2. User feedbacks about the chatbot suggested technical limitations, e.g. low comprehension of users’ words, and pros and cons of using the chatbot, e.g. convenient versus coldness. Conclusions Providing fertility education using a chatbot improved fertility knowledge and intentions to optimize preconception behaviour without increasing anxiety, but the improvement in knowledge was small. Further technical development and exploration of personal affinity for technology is required