Laboratory of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
Key Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Metabolomics, Minzu University of China, State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China.
Cells. 2022 Jul 18;11(14):2228. doi: 10.3390/cells11142228.
As a typical seasonal breeding animal, male muskrats have a pair of scent glands that can emit musky odor substances to attract females during the breeding period. The present study aimed to visualize the differences in the distribution of lipids in the scent glands of muskrats during their different reproductive statuses by imaging mass spectrometry and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The results revealed remarkable differences in the expression and spatial distribution of lipids detected in the scent glands of muskrats during the different reproductive statuses. In addition, the expression levels of lipid molecules PC (32:0) and LysoPC (16:0) were found to be significantly higher in the breeding season than in the non-breeding season. Moreover, the mRNA expression levels of lipid synthesis enzyme and were higher in the breeding season than in the non-breeding season, and there were positive correlations between the expression intensities of lipid molecules and the expression levels of and . The present study investigates the changes and distribution of the endogenous lipid in the scent glands of muskrats and elucidates that the seasonal changes in the lipid metabolism may affect the functions of the scent glands in muskrats.
作为一种典型的季节性繁殖动物，雄性麝鼠有一对气味腺，可以在繁殖期分泌麝香气味物质来吸引雌性。本研究旨在通过成像质谱和定量实时 PCR（qRT-PCR）来可视化麝鼠在不同繁殖状态下气味腺中脂质分布的差异。结果表明，在不同繁殖状态下，麝鼠气味腺中检测到的脂质在表达和空间分布上存在显著差异。此外，在繁殖季节，脂质分子 PC（32:0）和 LysoPC（16:0）的表达水平明显高于非繁殖季节。此外，在繁殖季节，脂质合成酶 和 的 mRNA 表达水平高于非繁殖季节，并且脂质分子的表达强度与 和 的表达水平之间存在正相关关系。本研究调查了麝鼠气味腺中内源性脂质的变化和分布，并阐明脂质代谢的季节性变化可能影响麝鼠气味腺的功能。
