Transcriptome analyses reveal key features of mouse seminal vesicle during aging

Despite the significant morphological changes that occur in the seminal vesicles with aging, the transcriptomic characteristics remain largely unexplored. To address this, we performed bulk RNA sequencing on seminal vesicle samples from mice aged 3, 13, and 21 months to uncover transcriptomic alterations. Our findings reveal that aged seminal vesicles display cystic dilatation, epithelial hypoplasia, disordered muscle layers, fibrosis, and reduced proliferation capability. A comparison between 3-month-old and 21-month-old mice indicated that leukocyte-mediated immunity and leukocyte migration were the most significantly upregulated biological processes among differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Notably, several DEGs associated with "leukocyte migration," such as <i>Vcam1</i>, <i>Cxcl13</i>, and <i>Ccl8</i>, exhibited an increasing trend in transcriptomic and protein expression at three different time points in the seminal vesicles of mice. Additionally, we identified multiple aging-associated DEGs, including <i>P21</i> and <i>Tnfrsf1b</i>. Two genes (<i>Cd209f</i> and <i>Ccl8</i>) were consistently upregulated across all six regions of the male reproductive glands (testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicle) in the comparison of bulk RNA datasets from 3-month-old and 21-month-old mice. These analyses highlight an enhanced state of immune and inflammatory response in aged seminal vesicles. This study represents the first exploration of the overall transcriptome landscape of seminal vesicles in a murine model of natural aging, offering new insights into the mechanisms underlying aging-related seminal vesicle dysfunction.

尽管衰老会使精囊发生显著的形态学改变，但其转录组学特征在很大程度上仍未被探索。为填补这一研究空白，我们对3月龄、13月龄和21月龄小鼠的精囊组织样本开展了批量RNA测序，以揭示其转录组学变化。研究结果显示，衰老的精囊会出现囊性扩张、上皮发育不全、肌层紊乱、纤维化以及增殖能力下降。对3月龄与21月龄小鼠进行对比分析后发现，在差异表达基因（differentially expressed genes，DEGs）中，白细胞介导的免疫反应与白细胞迁移是上调最为显著的生物学过程。值得注意的是，多个与“白细胞迁移”相关的差异表达基因，如*Vcam1*、*Cxcl13*和*Ccl8*，在小鼠精囊的三个不同时间点的转录组与蛋白质表达水平均呈现上升趋势。此外，我们还鉴定出多个衰老相关的差异表达基因，包括*P21*和*Tnfrsf1b*。在对3月龄与21月龄小鼠的批量RNA测序数据集的对比分析中，有两个基因（*Cd209f*和*Ccl8*）在雄性生殖腺的全部六个区域（睾丸、附睾和精囊）中均持续上调。上述分析结果凸显了衰老精囊中免疫与炎症反应的增强状态。本研究首次在自然衰老小鼠模型中探索了精囊的整体转录组图谱，为衰老相关精囊功能障碍的潜在机制提供了新的见解。