ESA-SRB-AOTA 2019

Paternal environment and male-female seminal fluid influence on the conception environment (#4)

John E Schjenken 1 , DJ Sharkey 2 , LM Moldenhauer 2 , HY Chan 2 , PY Chin 2 , LY Sandeman 2 , H Shehadah 2 , T Fullston 2 , R Ogle 3 , MA Baker 3 , NO McPherson 2 , M Lane 2 , SA Robertson 2
  1. Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide. Adelaide. SA. 5005, Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
  2. Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide. Adelaide. SA. 5005
  3. Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science and School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, 2308

Parental experiences and exposures prior to conception shape fetal development and life-course trajectory, with both maternal and paternal factors contributing to influence childhood health. Genetic and epigenetic alterations to sperm are implicated as a key mechanism behind transmission of adverse impact. An additional pathway involves seminal plasma, which is a major factor influencing female immune adaptation to pregnancy. Since immune adaptation is established at conception, perturbations at this time can profoundly affect embryo implantation, placental development and fetal growth, ultimately impacting offspring phenotype. We have postulated that in addition to sperm integrity, altered capacity for seminal fluid signalling in males may form a novel pathway that contributes to paternal programming. To investigate this, we have utilised mouse models to define the impact of altered seminal fluid exposure at conception. These studies have characterised the capacity of different components of the ejaculate to activate the female tract immune response, including both sperm and seminal plasma which are both involved in the induction of peri-conception cytokines and miRNAs and expansion of regulatory T cells. In particular, we have assessed the impact of paternal obesity on seminal fluid composition and function. Our data demonstrate that induction of obesity through a high fat diet leads to altered seminal plasma composition and sperm quality, which perturbs the female cytokine and T cell response to insemination, in turn contributing to the observed altered fetal and placental development and offspring outcomes. Our ongoing studies aim to build understanding of the physiological significance of other paternal environmental exposures on male and female reproductive function. As events around the time of conception have a profound impact at conception with consequences over the course of pregnancy, defining the significance of seminal fluid function will increase our understanding of how infertility, miscarriage and disorders of pregnancy arise, and how the health of the child after birth has origins in both maternal and paternal environmental determinants.