Histological and transcriptome analyses of testes from Duroc and Meishan boars

Abstract

Meishan boars are known for their early sexual maturity. However, they exhibit a significantly smaller testicular size and a reduced proportion of Sertoli cells and daily sperm production compared with Duroc boars. The testes of Duroc and Meishan boars at 20, 75 and 270 days of age were used for histological and transcriptome analyses. Haematoxylin-eosin staining was conducted to observe histological structure of the testes in Duroc and Meishan boars at different ages. Although spermatogenesis occurred prior to 75 days in Meishan boars, the number of spermatogonia and Sertoli cells in Meishan boars were less than in Duroc boars at adulthood. The diameters of the seminiferous tubules of the testes differed significantly during the initiation of development of the seminiferous tubules between the two breeds. We obtained differentially expressed functional genes and analysed seven pathways involved in male sexual maturity and spermatogenesis using RNA-seq. We also detected four main alternative splicing events and many single nucleotide polymorphisms from testes. Eight functionally important genes were validated by qPCR, and Neurotrophin 3 was subjected to quantification and cellular localization analysis. Our study provides the first transcriptome evidence for the differences in sexual function development between Meishan and Duroc boars.

Integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in testes of Duroc and Meishan boars

“…More signi cantly DE miRNAs were detected in Meishan boars at age of 20 to 75 days than those in Duroc boars, which suggested that the testis developed at a faster rate in Meishan boars than in Duroc boars from 20 to 75 days. These ndings were consistent with those in previous study of mRNA expression data of matched samples [17]. Venn diagram showed 45 signi cantly DE miRNAs were ltered from the four pairwise comparisons (D20 vs D270, D75 vs D270, M20 vs M75, and M20 vs M270) ( Fig.…”

Transcriptome Dynamics During Turbot Spermatogenesis Predicting the Potential Key Genes Regulating Male Germ Cell Proliferation and Maturation

“…For example, during human spermatogenesis, transcriptomic dynamics can help predict the potential key genes that regulate male gamete generation 4 ; in different boar breeds, transcriptome analyses revealed differences in the development of sexual function 5 and in yellow catfish, comparative transcriptome analyses highlighted differences in expressed genes and signalling pathways between XY and YY testes 6 . However, information related to spermatogenesis during the different developmental stages in teleosts is limited.…”

Integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in testes of Duroc and Meishan boars

“…One of our previous studies of testis transcriptional pro le revealed numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and important biological pathways were signi cantly correlated to mammalian reproduction between Meishan and Duroc boars at 20, 75, and 270 days of age [17]. It is interesting to further investigate how miRNAs are involved in regulating sexual function development by ne-turning gene expression [18].…”

“…Testis size in Chinese Meishan boars is only half that of conventional boars at maturity. In addition, Meishan boars accumulate Sertoli cells and seminiferous tubules at a more rapid rate compared with white composite boar during the rst month after birth [17,20,21]. The diameter and number of seminiferous tubules determine the onset of puberty in males [17].…”

“…In addition, Meishan boars accumulate Sertoli cells and seminiferous tubules at a more rapid rate compared with white composite boar during the rst month after birth [17,20,21]. The diameter and number of seminiferous tubules determine the onset of puberty in males [17]. The physiological attributes mentioned above of Chinese Meishan boars make them highly proli c, which render them a valuable animal model for examining the mechanism of sexual function development and sperm production of boars.…”