miRNA-122-5p stimulates the proliferation and DNA synthesis and inhibits the early apoptosis of human spermatogonial stem cells by targeting CBL and competing with lncRNA CASC7.

Epigenetic regulators of human spermatogonia stem cells (SSCs) remain largely unknown. We found that miRNA-122-5p was upregulated in human spermatogonia from obstructive azoospermia (OA) patients compared with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). MiRNA-122-5p stimulated the proliferation and DNA synthesis of human SSCs, whereas it inhibited the early apoptosis of human SSCs. CBL was predicted and identified as a direct target of miRNA-122-5p in human SSCs. CBL silencing led to an enhancement of cell proliferation and DNA synthesis and neutralized the effect of miRNA-122-5p inhibitor on the DNA synthesis of human SSCs. The decrease in the early apoptosis of human SSCs was observed after CBL knockdown. By comparing the profiles of lncRNAs between OA and NOA spermatogonia, CASC7 was significantly deficient in OA spermatogonia, and it had a direct association with miRNA-122-5p. LncRNA CASC7 competed with miRNA-122-5p, and it suppressed the inhibition of CBL. Collectively, these results implicate that miRNA-122-5p enhances the proliferation and DNA synthesis and inhibits the early apoptosis of human SSCs by targeting CBL and competing with lncRNA CASC7. Therefore, this study provides novel insights into epigenetic regulation of fate determinations of human SSCs, and it offers new targets for gene therapy of male infertility that is associated with aging.