Characterization of N6-methyladenosine in the testis tissue of cattle-yak

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prominent mRNA modification in eukaryotes, and its potential regulatory role has recently been identified in mammals, plants, and yeast. However, how m6A methylation regulates spermatogenesis remains unknown. In this study, cattle-yak testis tissue was used as the experimental material, and the m6A map was generated through preliminary experiments and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing. Only spermatogonia and Sertoli cells were observed in cattle-yak testis tissue. Experiments examining the expression of methylation-related enzymes and the overall methylation level showed that the methylation level in the testis of the cattle-yak was slightly lower than that of the sexually mature yak, but significantly higher than that of the pre-sexually mature yak. Annotation analysis indicated that differentially methylated peaks were most frequently concentrated in exonic regions, followed by 3'UTR and finally 5'UTR regions. Through enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated corresponding genes, GO analysis of T-vs-Y group mainly involved spermatogenesis, including cytoskeleton, actin binding, etc. KEGG analysis showed that the differential genes were mainly enriched in actin cytoskeleton regulation and MAPK signaling pathway. GO analysis of the T-vs-M group mainly involved protein ubiquitination, ubiquitin ligase complexes, ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolism and endocytosis. KEGG analysis mainly involved apoptosis and Fanconi anemia pathways. This study will lay the foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanism of m6A in male sterility of cattle-yak. Overall design: Detection of m6A in the testis tissue of cattle-yak