Prochowska Sylwia, Partyka Agnieszka, Niżański Wojciech
Department of Reproduction and Clinic of Farm Animals, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-366 Wroclaw, Poland.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Feb 12;11(2):489. doi: 10.3390/ani11020489.
Apoptosis is a crucial process in spermatogenesis, responsible for the elimination of abnormal sperm cells and testicular regression out of breeding season. The aim of this study was to assess if the expression of apoptosis-related genes in testicular tissue of domestic cats differed: (1) between normozoospermic and teratozoospermic donors, and (2) between reproductive and non-reproductive season. The expression of genes: , , , and caspases (, and ) was analyzed by qRT-PCR in testicular tissue samples. During non-reproductive season significantly higher expression of two anti-apoptotic genes ( and ) was observed. Additionally, there was a significant higher expression of in teratozoospermic cats during non-reproductive than during reproductive season. No differences were noted between normozoospermic and teratozoospermic groups. Upregulation of some genes during the non-reproductive season indicates engagement of apoptotic mechanisms in the seasonal changes of semen quality in cats, however further studies on protein levels and analysis of changes on distinct testicular germinal layers are required. At the same time, teratozoospermia in the general population of cats seems to be not connected with dysregulation of apoptosis in the testes.
细胞凋亡是精子发生过程中的一个关键过程，负责在繁殖季节之外消除异常精子细胞和睾丸退化。本研究的目的是评估家猫睾丸组织中凋亡相关基因的表达是否存在差异：（1）正常精子症供体和畸形精子症供体之间；（2）繁殖季节和非繁殖季节之间。通过qRT-PCR分析睾丸组织样本中基因、、、以及半胱天冬酶（、和）的表达。在非繁殖季节，观察到两种抗凋亡基因（和）的表达显著更高。此外，畸形精子症猫在非繁殖季节的表达显著高于繁殖季节。正常精子症组和畸形精子症组之间未观察到差异。非繁殖季节某些基因的上调表明凋亡机制参与了猫精液质量的季节性变化，然而，需要进一步研究蛋白质水平并分析不同睾丸生精层的变化。同时，猫的一般群体中的畸形精子症似乎与睾丸中凋亡的失调无关。
