Transcriptome Studies Reveal the N6-Methyladenosine Differences in Testis of Yaks at Juvenile and Sexual Maturity Stages

Shaoke Guo; Jie Pei; Xingdong Wang; Mengli Cao; Lin Xiong; Yandong Kang; Ziqiang Ding; Yongfu La; Min Chu; Pengjia Bao; Xian Guo

doi:10.3390/ani13182815

Animals (Sep 2023)

Transcriptome Studies Reveal the N6-Methyladenosine Differences in Testis of Yaks at Juvenile and Sexual Maturity Stages

Shaoke Guo,
Jie Pei,
Xingdong Wang,
Mengli Cao,
Lin Xiong,
Yandong Kang,
Ziqiang Ding,
Yongfu La,
Min Chu,
Pengjia Bao,
Xian Guo

Affiliations

Shaoke Guo: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Jie Pei: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Xingdong Wang: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Mengli Cao: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Lin Xiong: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Yandong Kang: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Ziqiang Ding: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Yongfu La: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Min Chu: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Pengjia Bao: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
Xian Guo: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13182815
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 18
p. 2815

Abstract

Read online

Studying the mechanism of spermatogenesis is key to exploring the reproductive characteristics of male yaks. Although N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification has been reported to regulate spermatogenesis and reproductive function in mammals, the molecular mechanism of m6A in yak testis development and spermatogenesis remains largely unknown. Therefore, we collected testicular tissue from juvenile and adult yaks and found that the m6A level significantly increased after sexual maturity in yaks. In MeRIP-seq, 1702 hypermethylated peaks and 724 hypomethylated peaks were identified. The hypermethylated differentially methylated RNAs (DMRs) (CIB2, AK1, FOXJ2, PKDREJ, SLC9A3, and TOPAZ1) mainly regulated spermatogenesis. Functional enrichment analysis showed that DMRs were significantly enriched in the adherens junction, gap junction, and Wnt, PI3K, and mTOR signaling pathways, regulating cell development, spermatogenesis, and testicular endocrine function. The functional analysis of differentially expressed genes showed that they were involved in the biological processes of mitosis, meiosis, and flagellated sperm motility during the sexual maturity of yak testis. We also screened the key regulatory factors of testis development and spermatogenesis by combined analysis, which included BRCA1, CREBBP, STAT3, and SMAD4. This study indexed the m6A characteristics of yak testicles at different developmental stages, providing basic data for further research of m6A modification regulating yak testicular development.

Published in Animals

ISSN: 2076-2615 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Animal culture: Veterinary medicine; Science: Zoology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords