Background and Objective: Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) have been studied in the male reproductive system. One of the most important small RNAs (sRNAs) investigated in spermatogenesis is piRNA. In this study, a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the expression profiles of novel sRNA sequences, which are predicted to be piRNAs, in male testicular tissue was performed.

Materials and Methods: To discover novel sequences, the GSE248576 dataset in NCBI-GEO was used. Then, potential target genes of the discovered sequences were predicted using the Miranda tool. Finally, regulatory pathways related to spermatogenesis were obtained using bioinformatics tools.

Results: In this study, 208 novel sRNA sequences were identified as piRNAs in male testicular tissue that have not been reported in small sequence databases so far; In gene ontology analysis, KEGG and Reactome pathways, and protein-protein interaction analysis, significant terms related to the regulatory processes of mitosis and meiosis, and cell growth in gametogenesis were identified.

Conclusion: The newly found sRNA sequences and their predicted target genes in this study could be promising candidates for investigating their role in impaired spermatogenesis as an infertility phenotype in men.