Letter from the editor

References

• Riordan JR, Rommens JM, Kerem B, Alon N, Rozmahel R, Grzelczak Z, Zielenski J, Lok S, Plavsic N, Chou JL, et al. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: cloning and characterization of complementary DNA. Science 1989; 245:1066 - 73; http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.2475911; PMID: 2475911
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Rommens JM, Iannuzzi MC, Kerem B, Drumm ML, Melmer G, Dean M, Rozmahel R, Cole JL, Kennedy D, Hidaka N, et al. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: chromosome walking and jumping. Science 1989; 245:1059 - 65; http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.2772657; PMID: 2772657
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kerem B, Rommens JM, Buchanan JA, Markiewicz D, Cox TK, Chakravarti A, Buchwald M, Tsui LC. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: genetic analysis. Science 1989; 245:1073 - 80; http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.2570460; PMID: 2570460
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Quinton PM. Physiological basis of cystic fibrosis: a historical perspective. Physiol Rev 1999; 79:Suppl S3 - 22; PMID: 9922374
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Bear CE, Li CH, Kartner N, Bridges RJ, Jensen TJ, Ramjeesingh M, Riordan JR. Purification and functional reconstitution of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Cell 1992; 68:809 - 18; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(92)90155-6; PMID: 1371239
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chan HC, Ruan YC, He Q, Chen MH, Chen H, Xu WM, Chen WY, Xie C, Zhang XH, Zhou Z. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in reproductive health and disease. J Physiol 2009; 587:2187 - 95; http://dx.doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2008.164970; PMID: 19015188
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Taussig LM, Lobeck CC, di Sant’Agnese PA, Ackerman DR, Kattwinkel J. Fertility in males with cystic fibrosis. N Engl J Med 1972; 287:586 - 9; http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJM197209212871204; PMID: 5055208
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kaplan E, Shwachman H, Perlmutter AD, Rule A, Khaw KT, Holsclaw DS. Reproductive failure in males with cystic fibrosis. N Engl J Med 1968; 279:65 - 9; http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJM196807112790203; PMID: 5657013
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Holsclaw DS, Perlmutter AD, Jockin H, Shwachman H. Genital abnormalities in male patients with cystic fibrosis. J Urol 1971; 106:568 - 74; PMID: 4399160
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dumur V, Gervais R, Rigot JM, Lafitte JJ, Manouvrier S, Biserte J, Mazeman E, Roussel P. Abnormal distribution of CF delta F508 allele in azoospermic men with congenital aplasia of epididymis and vas deferens. Lancet 1990; 336:512; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(90)92066-Q; PMID: 1975022
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Stuhrmann M, Dörk T. CFTR gene mutations and male infertility. Andrologia 2000; 32:71 - 83; http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0272.2000.00327.x; PMID: 10755189
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wong PY. CFTR gene and male fertility. Mol Hum Reprod 1998; 4:107 - 10; http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molehr/4.2.107; PMID: 9542966
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chen H, Ruan YC, Xu WM, Chen J, Chan HC. Regulation of male fertility by CFTR and implications in male infertility. Hum Reprod Update 2012; 18:703 - 13; http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dms027; PMID: 22709980
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• van der Ven K, Messer L, van der Ven H, Jeyendran RS, Ober C. Cystic fibrosis mutation screening in healthy men with reduced sperm quality. Hum Reprod 1996; 11:513 - 7; http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/HUMREP/11.3.513; PMID: 8671256
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wang XF, Zhou CX, Shi QX, Yuan YY, Yu MK, Ajonuma LC, Ho LS, Lo PS, Tsang LL, Liu Y, et al. Involvement of CFTR in uterine bicarbonate secretion and the fertilizing capacity of sperm. Nat Cell Biol 2003; 5:902 - 6; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncb1047; PMID: 14515130
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Xu WM, Shi QX, Chen WY, Zhou CX, Ni Y, Rowlands DK, Yi Liu G, Zhu H, Ma ZG, Wang XF, et al. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator is vital to sperm fertilizing capacity and male fertility. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:9816 - 21; http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0609253104; PMID: 17519339
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Diao R, Fok KL, Zhao L, Chen H, Tang H, Chen J, Zheng A, Zhang X, Gui Y, Chan HC, et al. Decreased expression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator impairs sperm quality in aged men. Reproduction 2013; Forthcoming
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gottlieb C, Plöen L, Kvist U, Strandvik B. The fertility potential of male cystic fibrosis patients. Int J Androl 1991; 14:437 - 40; http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2605.1991.tb01272.x; PMID: 1761323
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Xu WM, Chen J, Chen H, Diao RY, Fok KL, Dong JD, Sun TT, Chen WY, Yu MK, Zhang XH, et al. Defective CFTR-dependent CREB activation results in impaired spermatogenesis and azoospermia. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19120; http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0019120; PMID: 21625623
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chen J, Fok KL, Chen H, Zhang XH, Xu WM, Chan HC. Cryptorchidism-induced CFTR down-regulation results in disruption of testicular tight junctions through up-regulation of NF-κB/COX-2/PGE2. Hum Reprod 2012; 27:2585 - 97; http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/humrep/des254; PMID: 22777528
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mruk DD, Cheng CY. Tight junctions in the testis: new perspectives. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:1621 - 35; http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0010; PMID: 20403874
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Xie C, Jiang XH, Zhang JT, Sun TT, Dong JD, Sanders AJ, Diao RY, Wang Y, Fok KL, Tsang LL, et al. CFTR suppresses tumor progression through miR-193b targeting urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) in prostate cancer. Oncogene 2013; 32:2282 - 91, e1-7; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/onc.2012.251; PMID: 22797075
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zhang JT, Jiang XH, Xie C, Cheng H, Da Dong J, Wang Y, Fok KL, Zhang XH, Sun TT, Tsang LL, et al. Downregulation of CFTR promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and is associated with poor prognosis of breast cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta 2013; In press http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamcr.2013.07.021; PMID: 23916755
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chen H, Lam Fok K, Jiang X, Chan HC. New insights into germ cell migration and survival/apoptosis in spermatogenesis: Lessons from CD147. Spermatogenesis 2012; 2:264 - 72; http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/spmg.22014; PMID: 23248767
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Trezise AE, Linder CC, Grieger D, Thompson EW, Meunier H, Griswold MD, Buchwald M. CFTR expression is regulated during both the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium and the oestrous cycle of rodents. Nat Genet 1993; 3:157 - 64; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng0293-157; PMID: 7684647
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar