Transcriptome analysis of testes gene expression to explore genetic diversity of Mangalica and Camborough boars

The testis, an important reproductive organ, is involved in spermatogenesis and steroid hormone secretion and has been the subject of a wide variety of studies. Pigs are often used as model animals for studies on human physiology and disease, and studies on the testicular development of pigs could shed light on human reproduction. Mangalica, an indigenous Hungarian pig breed, has reproductive traits that are different from those of commercial pig breeds. This specificity could reveal important differences in the cascades and reproductive genes between humans and other animals. In this study, we conducted RNA-sequencing analysis of the testes of 14 days old Mangalica and Camborough boars. We also performed clustering and pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes. We observed the differences in gene expression between the breeds, including Wnt signalling pathways involved in early testicular development. These datasets and analyses are expected to provide important gene sets for pig testis development that can be applied in future studies on human reproductive mechanisms.

睾丸作为重要的生殖器官，参与精子发生与类固醇激素分泌过程，已成为诸多研究的重点关注对象。猪常被用作人类生理学与疾病研究的模式动物，针对猪睾丸发育的研究可为揭示人类生殖机制提供重要参考。曼加利察猪（Mangalica）是匈牙利本土猪品种，其繁殖性状与商业猪品种存在显著差异，这种特异性可帮助揭示人类与其他动物在信号通路级联与生殖基因层面的重要差异。本研究对14日龄曼加利察公猪与卡姆博罗公猪的睾丸组织开展了RNA测序（RNA-sequencing）分析，并对差异表达基因进行了聚类分析与通路分析。研究发现两个品种间存在基因表达差异，其中包括参与睾丸早期发育的Wnt信号通路（Wnt signalling pathway）。本研究产生的数据集与分析结果，有望为猪睾丸发育研究提供关键基因集，可应用于未来人类生殖机制相关研究。