Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41566386›Full record

ArticleMobile DNA2026

Acute testicular hyperthermia leads to rapid loss of global piRNA and a concurrent increase in LINE1 activity within heat sensitive male germ cells.

Benjamin R Robinson, Jacob K Netherton, Rachel A Ogle, Sean M Burnard, Grace E Williams, Georgia M Tennant, Maytham Hussein, Heather J Lee, Tony Velkov, Mark A Baker

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Mobile DNA, 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. Review
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

10 authors.

Benjamin R RobinsonSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia. Benjamin.Robinson@newcastle.edu.au.
Jacob K NethertonSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Rachel A OgleSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Sean M BurnardSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Grace E WilliamsSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Georgia M TennantSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Maytham HusseinMonash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
Heather J LeeSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Tony VelkovMonash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
Mark A BakerSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia. mandde02@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpermatogenesis is a highly temperature sensitive process, which occurs 2–6 °C below core body temperature. Testicular hyperthermia rapidly affects male precursor cells, including spermatocytes and round spermatids, leading to elevated DNA damage. To understand the immediate transcriptional response of these cell types, we subjected mice to testicular hyperthermia and performed whole transcriptome sequencing on round spermatids following testicular hyperthermia.

resultsAnalysis of sequencing data revealed that 93% of differentially expressed transcripts were upregulated following heat stress, with a notable trend to upregulation of transposable elements. Further investigation revealed a > 50% global reduction in piRNA levels, which coincided with increased LINE1 transcript abundance, elevated expression of ORF1p and increased DNA damage in heat stressed spermatocytes. The loss of piRNA appears to be driven by the rapid deformation of liquid–liquid phase separated ribonucleoprotein biocondensates, as demonstrated by the chromatoid body, which serves as an epicentre for piRNA processing. This loss of piRNA can cause widespread RNA dysregulation, transposon activation, DNA damage and impair spermatogenesis.

conclusionThese findings suggest that testicular hyperthermia disrupts piRNA biogenesis by destabilisation of liquid–liquid phase separated ribonucleoprotein biocondensates, including the chromatoid body. As a result, many transcripts, including transposable elements, become dysregulated which leads to DNA damage and impaired sperm quality.

Indexed as

Chromatoid bodyDNA damageLINE1PiRNASpermatogenesisTesticular hyperthermiaTransposable elements

Identifiers

PMID41566386
PMCPMC12918597

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Registered trials

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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.