A single cell atlas of the mouse seminal vesicle

During mammalian reproduction, sperm are delivered to the female reproductive tract bathed in a complex medium known as seminal fluid, which plays key roles in signaling to the female reproductive tract and in nourishing sperm for their onwards journey. The majority of seminal fluid is produced by a somewhat understudied organ known as the seminal vesicle. Here, we report a single-cell RNA-Seq atlas of the mouse seminal vesicle, generated using tissues obtained from 23 mice of varying ages, exposed to a range of dietary challenges. We define the transcriptome of the secretory epithelial cells in this tissue, identifying a relative homogeneous population of the epithelial cells responsible for producing the majority of seminal fluid. We also define the immune cell populations – including large populations of macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, and NKT cells – which have the potential to play roles in producing various immune mediators present in seminal plasma. Together, our data provide a resource for understanding the composition of an understudied reproductive tissue with potential implications for paternal control of offspring development and metabolism. Overall design: Seminal vesicles were collected from FVB/NJ and C57BL/6J mice at age of about 12 weeks to 28 months. The animals were maintained under controlled temperature and humidity conditions on a 12 hr light/dark cycle with different diets and water ad libitum. The diets used included Chow diet, High Fat diet. Low Protein diet or AIN-93G (Control diet, CD). The mice on HFD and CD were fed for 9 weeks after weaning. Chromium Single Cell 3' Reagent Kit V2 (10X Genomics) was used for single-cell sequencing libraries.

在哺乳动物繁殖过程中，精子会被输送至雌性生殖道，且在输送过程中被包裹于一种名为精液（seminal fluid）的复杂介质中；该介质在向雌性生殖道传递信号以及为精子的后续行程提供营养方面发挥关键作用。精液的主要成分由一个尚未得到充分研究的器官——精囊（seminal vesicle）产生。
本研究构建了小鼠精囊的单细胞RNA测序（single-cell RNA-Seq）图谱，所用组织取自23只不同周龄的小鼠，且这些小鼠均接受了多种饮食干预。
我们明确了该组织中分泌上皮细胞的转录组特征，鉴定出一群相对均一的上皮细胞群——这类细胞负责产生绝大多数精液成分。此外，我们还鉴定出多种免疫细胞群——包括大量巨噬细胞、树突状细胞、T细胞以及自然杀伤T（NKT）细胞——这些细胞有可能参与产生精浆中存在的各类免疫介质。
综上，本研究的数据为解析这一尚未得到充分研究的生殖组织的组成提供了宝贵资源，其研究结果或可为父本对子代发育与代谢的调控机制提供新的见解。
实验整体设计：从FVB/NJ与C57BL/6J品系小鼠中采集精囊组织，这些小鼠的周龄范围约为12周至28个月。所有实验动物均在可控温度与湿度的环境中饲养，采用12小时光暗循环，自由进食饮水，并分别接受不同的饮食处理。所用饲料包括普通饲料（Chow diet）、高脂饲料（High Fat Diet，以下简称HFD）、低蛋白饲料（Low Protein diet）以及AIN-93G对照饲料（Control Diet，以下简称CD）。其中，喂食HFD与CD的小鼠在断奶后持续饲喂9周。实验采用Chromium单细胞3'端测序试剂试剂盒V2（10X Genomics）构建单细胞测序文库。