Transcriptome-based analysis of key signaling pathways affecting the formation of primordial germ cell in chickens

Ying Ding; Qiong Zhi; Qisheng Zuo; Kai Jin; Wei Han; Bichun Li

Journal of Integrative Agriculture (May 2024)

Transcriptome-based analysis of key signaling pathways affecting the formation of primordial germ cell in chickens

Ying Ding,
Qiong Zhi,
Qisheng Zuo,
Kai Jin,
Wei Han,
Bichun Li

Affiliations

Ying Ding: Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Molecular Design of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Qiong Zhi: Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Molecular Design of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Qisheng Zuo: Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Molecular Design of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Kai Jin: Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Molecular Design of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Wei Han: Poultry Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Jiangsu Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225009, China
Bichun Li: Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Molecular Design of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Correspondence Bichun Li, Tel: +86-514-87977207, Fax: +86-514-87350440

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 23, no. 5
pp. 1644 – 1657

Abstract

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Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) can induce the formation of chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro; however, its regulatory mechanism in poultry remains unknown. This study aimed to use RNA-seq to analyze PGCs in chicken embryos and iPGCs induced by BMP4 in vitro, clarify the internal regulatory factors of PGCs, analyze the mechanism of the formation of PGCs, and lay a theoretical foundation for the further optimization of PGCs induction systems. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), PGCs and iPGCs induced by BMP4 in vitro were collected. The transcriptional maps of the three cell types were studied using RNA-seq. The results showed 6,142 genes differentially expressed between PGCs and iPGCs, of which 2,728 were upregulated in iPGCs and 3,414 were downregulated in iPGCs. Compared to that in ESCs, BMP4 was significantly upregulated in PGCs and iPGCs. KEGG results showed that both the TGF-β and Wnt signaling pathways were activated during the formation of PGCs in vitro and in vivo, and the activation was more significant during iPGCs induced by BMP4. The expression of Nodal, an inhibitory factor of TGF-β signaling, was significantly decreased in PGCs and iPGCs, but was not expressed in iPGCs, which further supports our conclusion. Additionally, the Lysosome and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways were significantly enriched in PGCs and iPGCs, respectively. Further, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that the number of autolysosomes was significantly higher after the addition of BMP4, which is consistent with the KEGG results. Furthermore, the number of PGCs was significantly reduced after ATG14 was interfered in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, this study screened out the key signaling pathways during the formation of PGCs, aiming to provide help for enriching the mechanism network regulating PGCs formation in chicken and laying a theoretical foundation for further improving the efficiency of inducing PGCs in vitro.

Published in Journal of Integrative Agriculture

ISSN: 2095-3119 (Print); 2352-3425 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Agriculture (General)
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-integrative-agriculture

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