Detection of Human Herpesviruses (HHVs) in Semen of Human Male Infertile Patients

Mo CHEN; Li-Yi CAI; Naoko KANNO; Takako KATO; Jinxing LU; Fan JIN; Honghua WANG; Masayo SEKITA; Masashi HIGUCHI; Saishu YOSHIDA; Hideji YAKO; Hiroki UEHARU; Shun-Ichiro IZUMI; Yukio KATO

doi:10.1262/jrd.2013-023

Original Articles

Detection of Human Herpesviruses (HHVs) in Semen of Human Male Infertile Patients

Mo CHEN, Li-Yi CAI, Naoko KANNO, Takako KATO, Jinxing LU, Fan JIN, Honghua WANG, Masayo SEKITA, Masashi HIGUCHI, Saishu YOSHIDA, Hideji YAKO, Hiroki UEHARU, Shun-Ichiro IZUMI, Yukio KATO

Author information

Mo CHEN
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Li-Yi CAI
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Institute of Reproduction and Endocrinology, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Department of Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Wuxi Hospital for Maternal and Child Health Care of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 214023, China
Naoko KANNO
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Takako KATO
Institute of Reproduction and Endocrinology, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Organization for the Strategic Coordination of Research and Intellectual Property, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Jinxing LU
Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu 215006, China
Fan JIN
Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics, Ministry of Education, and Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
Honghua WANG
Department of Reproductive Medicine, The Affiliated Wuxi Hospital for Maternal and Child Health Care of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 214023, China
Masayo SEKITA
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Masashi HIGUCHI
Institute of Reproduction and Endocrinology, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Organization for the Strategic Coordination of Research and Intellectual Property, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Saishu YOSHIDA
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Hideji YAKO
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Hiroki UEHARU
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Shun-Ichiro IZUMI
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
Yukio KATO
Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Institute of Reproduction and Endocrinology, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan
Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Gene Regulation, Department of Life Science, Meiji University, Kanagawa 214-8571, Japan

Keywords: Human herpesvirus (HHV), Human, Male infertility, Spermatogenesis, Thymidine kinase

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2013 Volume 59 Issue 5 Pages 457-462

DOI https://doi.org/10.1262/jrd.2013-023

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Abstract

Recently we demonstrated an ectopic expression of the human herpesvirus 1 thymidine kinase (HHV1-TK) gene by functioning of an intrinsic endogenous promoter in the transgenic rat (TG-rat), suggesting that HHV1 infection in humans induces expression of the TK gene with the ectopic promoter in the testis and results in accumulation of HHV1-TK protein, triggering male infertility similar to that in the TG-rat. Hence, in this study, we started to investigate a relationship between infection of herpesvirus and human male infertility. Semen was donated by Chinese male infertile patients (153 men, aged 21–49 years) with informed consent, followed by DNA preparation and analysis by PCR and DNA sequencing. Semen volume, sperm number and density, and sperm motility were examined. DNAs of HHV1, HHV4, HHV5 and HHV6 were confirmed by PCR, electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. Finally, virus DNA was identified in 59 patients (39%). The number of carriers was 39 (25%) for HHV1, 6 (4%) for HHV4, 33 (22%) for HHV5 and 3 (2%) for HHV6, respectively. Moreover, double-infection was found in 22 out of 59 specimens (37%), most of which were double-infection of HHV1 and HHV5 (15 out of 22 carriers). Though slight severity was present in some of the carriers, the relationship between virus infection and sperm impairment was not conclusive. Accordingly, it is essential to examine whether the viral HHV1-TK gene is expressed in the testis of the infertile human HHV carrier.

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