Lack of androgen receptor SUMOylation results in male infertility due to epididymal dysfunction

Fu-Ping Zhang, Marjo Malinen, Arfa Mehmood, Tiina Lehtiniemi, Tiina Jääskeläinen, Einari A. Niskanen, Hanna Korhonen, Asta Laiho, Laura L. Elo, Claes Ohlsson, Noora Kotaja, Matti Poutanen, Petra Sipilä and Jorma J. Palvimo ()
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Fu-Ping Zhang: University of Turku
Marjo Malinen: University of Eastern Finland
Arfa Mehmood: University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University
Tiina Lehtiniemi: University of Turku
Tiina Jääskeläinen: University of Eastern Finland
Einari A. Niskanen: University of Eastern Finland
Hanna Korhonen: University of Turku
Asta Laiho: University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University
Laura L. Elo: University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University
Claes Ohlsson: Gothenburg University
Noora Kotaja: University of Turku
Matti Poutanen: University of Turku
Petra Sipilä: University of Turku
Jorma J. Palvimo: University of Eastern Finland

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Androgen receptor (AR) is regulated by SUMOylation at its transactivation domain. In vitro, the SUMOylation is linked to transcriptional repression and/or target gene-selective regulation. Here, we generated a mouse model (ArKI) in which the conserved SUMO acceptor lysines of AR are permanently abolished (ArK381R, K500R). ArKI males develop normally, without apparent defects in their systemic androgen action in reproductive tissues. However, the ArKI males are infertile. Their spermatogenesis appears unaffected, but their epididymal sperm maturation is defective, shown by severely compromised motility and fertilization capacity of the sperm. Fittingly, their epididymal AR chromatin-binding and gene expression associated with sperm maturation and function are misregulated. AR is SUMOylated in the wild-type epididymis but not in the testis, which could explain the tissue-specific response to the lack of AR SUMOylation. Our studies thus indicate that epididymal AR SUMOylation is essential for the post-testicular sperm maturation and normal reproductive capability of male mice.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08730-z

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