{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T11:42:59Z","timestamp":1753875779721,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,8,28]],"date-time":"2019-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1566950400000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/journals\/pages\/open_access\/funder_policies\/chorus\/standard_publication_model"}],"funder":[{"name":"CIHR Operating","award":["84576"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["84576"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>A crucial function of the epididymis is providing a surface glycocalyx that is important for sperm maturation and capacitation. Defensins are antimicrobial peptides expressed in the epididymis. In the macaque epididymis, defensin beta 126 (DEFB126) is important for sperm motility, however, it is not known whether this is the case in humans. The objectives were to determine: (1) if DEFB126 on human ejaculated sperm was correlated with sperm motility in fertile and infertile men, (2) that recombinant DEFB126 could induce immature sperm motility in vitro. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that the proportion of DEFB126-positive sperm was significantly higher in motile sperm. Furthermore, the proportion of DEFB126-labeled sperm was positively correlated with sperm motility and normal morphology. Additional studies indicated that the proportion of DEFB126-positive spermatozoa in fertile volunteers was significantly higher than in volunteers with varicocele, and in infertile volunteers with semen deficiencies. To determine the role of DEFB126 on sperm motility, the DEFB126 gene was cloned and used to generate recombinant DEFB126 in H9C2 cells (rat embryonic heart myoblast cells). Deletion mutations were created into two regions of the protein, which have been linked to male infertility. Immotile testicular spermatozoa were incubated with cells expressing the different forms of DEFB126. Full-length DEFB126 significantly increased motility of co-cultured spermatozoa. However, no increase in sperm motility was observed with the mutated forms of DEFB126. In conclusion, these results support the notion that DEFB126 is important in human sperm maturation and the potential use of DEFB126 for in vitro sperm maturation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/biolre\/ioz171","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,8,28]],"date-time":"2019-08-28T11:45:10Z","timestamp":1566992710000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Beta-defensin126 is correlated with sperm motility in fertile and infertile men\u2020"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"given":"Raheleh","family":"Aram","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Reproductive Toxicology, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec, Laval, Quebec, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Peter T K","family":"Chan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel G","family":"Cyr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Reproductive Toxicology, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec, Laval, Quebec, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"816","DOI":"10.1038\/216816a0","article-title":"Sperm maturation in rabbit epididymis","volume":"216","author":"Orgebin-Crist","year":"1967","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref2","first-page":"199","article-title":"The maturation of spermatozoa in the human epididymis","volume":"18","author":"Bedford","year":"1973","journal-title":"J Reprod Fertil Suppl"},{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"691","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-397175-3.00017-X","volume-title":"Knobil and Neill's Reproductive Physiology","author":"Robaire","year":"2015"},{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.1095\/biolreprod.116.138792","article-title":"Cauda epididymis-specific Beta-Defensin 126 promotes sperm motility but not fertilizing ability in cattle","volume":"95","author":"Fernandez-Fuertes","year":"2016","journal-title":"Biol Reprod"},{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0140650","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0140650","article-title":"Sperm proteome maturation in the mouse epididymis","volume":"10","author":"Skerget","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"458","DOI":"10.1038\/ncb1127","article-title":"An epididymis-specific beta-defensin is important for the initiation of sperm maturation","volume":"6","author":"Zhou","year":"2004","journal-title":"Nat Cell Biol"},{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"323","DOI":"10.4103\/1008-682X.168791","article-title":"Beta-defensins and the epididymis: contrasting influences of prenatal, postnatal, and adult scenarios","volume":"18","author":"Ribeiro","year":"2016","journal-title":"Asian J Androl"},{"key":"2019102302191024200_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4003","DOI":"10.1016\/S0021-9258(19)84952-9","article-title":"Determination of the disulfide array in the human defensin HNP-2. 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