Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and mice

Asthenoteratozoospermia, a prevalent cause of male infertility, lacks a well-defined etiology. DNAH12 is a special dynein featured by the absence of a microtubule-binding domain, however, its functions in spermatogenesis remain largely unknown. Through comprehensive genetic analyses involving whole-...

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Main Authors: Menglei Yang, Hafiz Muhammad Jafar Hussain, Manan Khan, Zubair Muhammad, Jianteng Zhou, Ao Ma, Xiongheng Huang, Jingwei Ye, Min Chen, Aoran Zhi, Tao Liu, Ranjha Khan, Ali Asim, Wasim Shah, Aurang Zeb, Nisar Ahmad, Huan Zhang, Bo Xu, Hui Ma, Qinghua Shi, Baolu Shi
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Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2025-03-01
Series:eLife
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Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/100350
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author Menglei Yang
Hafiz Muhammad Jafar Hussain
Manan Khan
Zubair Muhammad
Jianteng Zhou
Ao Ma
Xiongheng Huang
Jingwei Ye
Min Chen
Aoran Zhi
Tao Liu
Ranjha Khan
Ali Asim
Wasim Shah
Aurang Zeb
Nisar Ahmad
Huan Zhang
Bo Xu
Hui Ma
Qinghua Shi
Baolu Shi
author_facet Menglei Yang
Hafiz Muhammad Jafar Hussain
Manan Khan
Zubair Muhammad
Jianteng Zhou
Ao Ma
Xiongheng Huang
Jingwei Ye
Min Chen
Aoran Zhi
Tao Liu
Ranjha Khan
Ali Asim
Wasim Shah
Aurang Zeb
Nisar Ahmad
Huan Zhang
Bo Xu
Hui Ma
Qinghua Shi
Baolu Shi
author_sort Menglei Yang
collection DOAJ
description Asthenoteratozoospermia, a prevalent cause of male infertility, lacks a well-defined etiology. DNAH12 is a special dynein featured by the absence of a microtubule-binding domain, however, its functions in spermatogenesis remain largely unknown. Through comprehensive genetic analyses involving whole-exome sequencing and subsequent Sanger sequencing on infertile patients and fertile controls from six distinct families, we unveiled six biallelic mutations in DNAH12 that co-segregate recessively with male infertility in the studied families. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed pronounced axonemal abnormalities, including inner dynein arms (IDAs) impairment and central pair (CP) loss in sperm flagella of the patients. Mouse models (Dnah12-/- and Dnah12mut/mut) were generated and recapitulated the reproductive defects in the patients. Noteworthy, DNAH12 deficiency did not show effects on cilium organization and function. Mechanistically, DNAH12 was confirmed to interact with two other IDA components DNALI1 and DNAH1, while disruption of DNAH12 leads to failed recruitment of DNALI1 and DNAH1 to IDAs and compromised sperm development. Furthermore, DNAH12 also interacts with radial spoke head proteins RSPH1, RSPH9, and DNAJB13 to regulate CP stability. Moreover, the infertility of Dnah12-/- mice could be overcome by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. Collectively, DNAH12 plays a crucial role in the proper organization of axoneme in sperm flagella, but not cilia, by recruiting DNAH1 and DNALI1 in both humans and mice. These findings expand our comprehension of dynein component assembly in flagella and cilia and provide a valuable marker for genetic counseling and diagnosis of asthenoteratozoospermia in clinical practice.
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spelling doaj-art-f399dce144a24189b5f0c47e7d7d818e2025-08-20T02:54:29ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2025-03-011310.7554/eLife.100350Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and miceMenglei Yang0Hafiz Muhammad Jafar Hussain1Manan Khan2Zubair Muhammad3Jianteng Zhou4Ao Ma5Xiongheng Huang6Jingwei Ye7Min Chen8Aoran Zhi9Tao Liu10Ranjha Khan11Ali Asim12Wasim Shah13Aurang Zeb14Nisar Ahmad15Huan Zhang16Bo Xu17Hui Ma18Qinghua Shi19Baolu Shi20https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5791-4300Center for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaCenter for Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, the CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, ChinaAsthenoteratozoospermia, a prevalent cause of male infertility, lacks a well-defined etiology. DNAH12 is a special dynein featured by the absence of a microtubule-binding domain, however, its functions in spermatogenesis remain largely unknown. Through comprehensive genetic analyses involving whole-exome sequencing and subsequent Sanger sequencing on infertile patients and fertile controls from six distinct families, we unveiled six biallelic mutations in DNAH12 that co-segregate recessively with male infertility in the studied families. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed pronounced axonemal abnormalities, including inner dynein arms (IDAs) impairment and central pair (CP) loss in sperm flagella of the patients. Mouse models (Dnah12-/- and Dnah12mut/mut) were generated and recapitulated the reproductive defects in the patients. Noteworthy, DNAH12 deficiency did not show effects on cilium organization and function. Mechanistically, DNAH12 was confirmed to interact with two other IDA components DNALI1 and DNAH1, while disruption of DNAH12 leads to failed recruitment of DNALI1 and DNAH1 to IDAs and compromised sperm development. Furthermore, DNAH12 also interacts with radial spoke head proteins RSPH1, RSPH9, and DNAJB13 to regulate CP stability. Moreover, the infertility of Dnah12-/- mice could be overcome by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. Collectively, DNAH12 plays a crucial role in the proper organization of axoneme in sperm flagella, but not cilia, by recruiting DNAH1 and DNALI1 in both humans and mice. These findings expand our comprehension of dynein component assembly in flagella and cilia and provide a valuable marker for genetic counseling and diagnosis of asthenoteratozoospermia in clinical practice.https://elifesciences.org/articles/100350male infertilityhuman geneticsdyneinsperm flagellainner dynein armscilia
spellingShingle Menglei Yang
Hafiz Muhammad Jafar Hussain
Manan Khan
Zubair Muhammad
Jianteng Zhou
Ao Ma
Xiongheng Huang
Jingwei Ye
Min Chen
Aoran Zhi
Tao Liu
Ranjha Khan
Ali Asim
Wasim Shah
Aurang Zeb
Nisar Ahmad
Huan Zhang
Bo Xu
Hui Ma
Qinghua Shi
Baolu Shi
Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and mice
eLife
male infertility
human genetics
dynein
sperm flagella
inner dynein arms
cilia
title Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and mice
title_full Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and mice
title_fullStr Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and mice
title_full_unstemmed Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and mice
title_short Deficiency in DNAH12 causes male infertility by impairing DNAH1 and DNALI1 recruitment in humans and mice
title_sort deficiency in dnah12 causes male infertility by impairing dnah1 and dnali1 recruitment in humans and mice
topic male infertility
human genetics
dynein
sperm flagella
inner dynein arms
cilia
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/100350
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