Testis transcriptome profiling identified genes involved in spermatogenic arrest of cattleyak

Abstract

Background Cattleyak are the hybrid offspring between cattle and yak and combine yak hardiness with cattle productivity. Much attempt has been made to examine the mechanisms of male sterility caused by spermatogenic arrest, but yet there is no research systematically and precisely elucidated testis gene expression profiling between cattleyak and yak. Methods To explore the higher resolution comparative transcriptome map between the testes of yak and cattleyak, and further analyze the mRNA expression dynamics of spermatogenic arrest in cattleyak. We characterized the comparative transcriptome profile from the testes of yak and cattleyak using high-throughput sequencing. Then we used quantitative analysis to validate several differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in testicular tissue and spermatogenic cells. Results Testis transcriptome profiling identified 6477 DEGs (2919 upregulated and 3558 downregulated) between cattleyak and yak. Further analysis revealed that the marker genes and apoptosis regulatory genes for undifferentiated spermatogonia were upregulated, while the genes for differentiation maintenance were downregulated in cattleyak. A majority of DEGs associated with mitotic checkpoint, and cell cycle progression were downregulated in cattleyak during spermatogonial mitosis. Furthermore, almost all DEGs related to synaptonemal complex assembly, and meiotic progression presented no sign of expression in cattleyak. Even worse, dozens of genes involved in acrosome formation, and flagellar development were dominantly downregulated in cattleyak. Conclusion DEGs indicated that spermatogenic arrest of cattleyak may originate from the differentiation stage of spermatogonial stem cells and be aggravated during spermatogonial mitosis

Identification of proAKAP4 concentration variations in dromedary sperm and their correlation with monthly semen parameters

“…Spermatozoa are immotile and animals are infertile in transgenic mice invalidated for proAKAP4/AKAP4 expression ( Miki et al 2002 , Fang et al 2019 , F u et al 2019). Additional evidences show that a striking under-representation of AKAP4 is reported in spermatozoa of infertile human patients ( Moretti et al 2007 , Redgrove et al 2012 , Frapsauce et al 2014 , Delehedde et al 2019 a ) and recently in hybrids of cattle and yaks that are sterile ( Wu et al 2020 ). Positive correlations between the levels of proAKAP4 expression, with key sperm quality and fertility indicators, have been reported in a number of livestock species including bulls, pigs, rams and stallions ( Peddinti et al 2008 , Blommaert et al 2019 , Sergeant et al 2019 , Riesco et al 2020 ).…”

ProAKAP4 Semen Concentrations as a Valuable Marker Protein of Post-Thawed Semen Quality and Bull Fertility: A Retrospective Study

“…In humans, AKAP4 is clearly downregulated in infertile patients with asthenozoospermia [ 27 , 28 ]. Evidence of the role of AKAP4 in bull fertility has increased over the years [ 16 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. AKAP4 transcripts were identified among the top five validated transcripts, and significantly increased in high compared to low quality bull semen [ 30 ].…”

Comparative rna‐seq analysis of region‐specific miRNA expression in the epididymis of cattleyak

“…Certainly, CY breeding is a crucial step in yak hybrid breeding practice. However, male infertility of CY prevents fixation of the excellent gene combinations in their F1 generations (Li et al., 2010; Yang et al., 2013; Chuanfei et al., 2018; Wu et al., 2020). The biological functions of the epididymis are important for the normal spermatozoon maturation, because it is during their passage through this organ that spermatozoa acquire full motility and fertility (Leir et al., 2015).…”