The role of CD52 gene in Male Mouse Reproductive Tract Tissues

The male reproductive tract, including the testis and epididymis, plays critical roles in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. The epididymis is divided into the caput, corpus, and cauda, each performing distinct functions. The CD52 gene encodes a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein that is highly expressed in the epididymis, yet its functional role in male reproductive tissues remains unexplored. In this study, we utilized CD52 knockout mice to investigate its effects on reproductive tissues. Histological and transcriptomic analyses comparing knockout and wild-type mice revealed that CD52 deficiency impacts multiple tissues, with distinct pathways affected. In the testis, caput, and cauda epididymis, changes were predominantly observed in pathways related to the cytoskeleton in muscle cells and motor proteins. In the corpus epididymis, the impacts centered on cellular senescence, apelin signaling, and glutamatergic synapse pathways. These findings suggest that the effects of CD52 on reproductive tissues vary depending on tissue-specific functions and underline its diverse roles in male reproductive physiology. High-throughput mRNA sequencing was carried out using the BGI DNBSEQ-T7 platform.