Immunolocalization of some HOX proteins in immature and mature feline testes

Abstract

Homeobox (HOX) proteins are known for their critical role in body shape formation and tissue differentiation of developing vertebrate embryos. Recent research has shown that HOX proteins have many physiological roles such as cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and cell differentiation in adults, as well as the development of the vertebrate nerve and reproductive system. This study was conducted to determine the possible physiological functions and expression intensities of HOXA10, HOXA11, HOXB6 and HOXC6 proteins in the male reproductive system (testes, epididymis and deferens ducts), which are important for the continuity of some specific cat breeds in different age ranges. In the study, a total of 18 testicular tissues were used, divided into two groups: less than 6 months (immature) and more than 1 year (mature). Tissue samples were then subjected to immunohistochemical staining with protein‐specific antibodies examined in the study. In the findings obtained in the research; it was observed that HOXA10, HOXA11, HOXB6 and HOXC6 produced different intensities of immunolocalization in the epididymis and ductus deferens layers in the immature and mature testicular cells. In addition, it was found that HOXA10 immunoreaction was also seen in some vascular endothelial cells. As a result, it was concluded that the HOX proteins could contribute to the physiological functions of testes, epididymis and ductus deferens and affect male fertility.

Pig H3K4me3, H3K27ac, and gene expression profiles reveal reproductive tissue-specific activity of transposable elements

“…To identify potential TFs driving conserved alternative promoter use in the three species, FIMO ( Grant et al, 2011 ) was used to predict the locations of TF-binding motifs in the MLT1F1 sequences, revealing a core “GTCATAAAA” sequence shared by all three species, predicted to bind to 14 TFs (Supplementary Figure S8). Among these TFs, HOX proteins are crucial for testicular and epididymal physiological functions and can affect male fertility ( Ferguson & Agoulnik, 2013 ; Topaloğlu et al, 2021 ; Xian et al, 2015 ). Species-conserved TE-derived alternative promoters were not limited to the same subfamily of TEs, i.e., different TE subfamilies acted on the same gene across the three species.…”

Immunohistochemical Localization of Cytokeratin 8 in Testes of Different Cat Breeds

“…Adluminal bölümünde ise farklılaşan primer spermatositler ve germ hücreleri yer alır (5). Spermlerin farklılaşması ve gelişmesinin ardından olgunlaşması, depolanması ve taşınması oldukça kıvrımlı bir tubüler yapı olan epididimis ve deferens kanallarında gerçekleşir (6).…”