Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40968718›Full record

ArticleAsian journal of andrology2026

Novel mutations in FSIP2 cause male infertility through multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella.

Mujahid Hussain, Abu Mansoor, Huan Zhang, Meftah Uddin, Ghulam Mustafa, Musavir Abbas, Umair Shafiq, Muhammad Shoaib, Fazal Rahim, Nisar Ahmed and 4 more

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Asian journal of andrology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Mujahid HussainInstitute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.
Abu Mansoor
Huan Zhang
Meftah Uddin
Ghulam Mustafa
Musavir Abbas
Umair Shafiq
Muhammad Shoaib
Fazal Rahim
Nisar Ahmed
Aurang Zeb
Tanveer Abbas
Wasim Shah
Qing-Hua Shi

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Infertility is a global concern, and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) is the most severe form of male infertility, characterized by reduced sperm count, decreased motility, and increased abnormal morphology. Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) characterize the most severe type of OAT and are usually caused by loss-of-function mutations in the genes essential for vital aspects of sperm biology, including concentration, motility, and morphology. The fibrous sheath interacting protein 2 (FSIP2) plays an essential role in sperm flagellar structure and function by regulating such processes as intraflagellar transport and acrosome formation. The present study, employing whole-exome sequencing (WES), identified two FSIP2 mutations in one patient (patient 1), a homozygous missense (c.262C>A, p.P88T) and a homozygous frameshift mutation (c.10948_10951del, p.N3653Nfs*22), as well as a homozygous FSIP2 frameshift mutation (c.15982_15982del, p.I5328Lfs*33) in another patient (patient 2). The results of bioinformatics analysis indicate that the identified missense mutation (c.262C>A) is rare and predicted to have a deleterious effect on FSIP2. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of sperm revealed several abnormalities, including a disorganized mitochondrial sheath, absence of the central pair and some doublets of microtubules, and significant dysplasia of the fibrous sheath. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) indicated significantly reduced FSIP2 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in sperm lysate of the affected individuals. Immunofluorescence staining revealed a complete absence of FSIP2, A-kinase anchor protein 4 (AKAP4), sperm-associated antigen 6 (SPAG6), intraflagellar transport 20 (IFT20) and actin-like 7A (ACTL7A) proteins in the spermatozoa of patients. Thus, the novel FSIP2 variants identified in patient 1 and patient 2 are recognized as pathogenic mutations responsible for MMAF, providing valuable insights for genetic counseling and reproductive decision-making in affected males.

Indexed as

AsthenozoospermiaInfertility, MaleOligospermiaSperm TailAdultExome SequencingFrameshift MutationHomozygoteHumansMaleMutationMutation, MissenseSpermatozoamale infertilityMMAFoligoasthenoteratozoospermiaWES

Identifiers

PMID40968718
PMCPMC13065324

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.