College of Animal Science and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.
Cells. 2024 Mar 22;13(7):563. doi: 10.3390/cells13070563.
(1) Background: Spermatozoa acquired motility and matured in epididymis after production in the testis. However, there is still limited understanding of the specific characteristics of sperm development across different species. In this study, we employed a comprehensive approach to analyze cell compositions in both testicular and epididymal tissues, providing valuable insights into the changes occurring during meiosis and spermiogenesis in mouse and pig models. Additionally, we identified distinct gene expression signatures associated with various spermatogenic cell types. (2) Methods: To investigate the differences in spermatogenesis between mice and pigs, we constructed a single-cell RNA dataset. (3) Results: Our findings revealed notable differences in testicular cell clusters between these two species. Furthermore, distinct gene expression patterns were observed among epithelial cells from different regions of the epididymis. Interestingly, regional gene expression patterns were also identified within principal cell clusters of the mouse epididymis. Moreover, through analysing differentially expressed genes related to the epididymis in both mouse and pig models, we successfully identified potential marker genes associated with sperm development and maturation for each species studied. (4) Conclusions: This research presented a comprehensive single-cell landscape analysis of both testicular and epididymal tissues, shedding light on the intricate processes involved in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation, specifically within mouse and pig models.
(1) 背景：精子在睾丸中产生后，在附睾中获得运动能力并成熟。然而，对于不同物种精子发育的具体特征，我们仍知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们采用综合方法分析了睾丸和附睾组织中的细胞组成，为小鼠和猪模型中减数分裂和精子发生过程中的变化提供了有价值的见解。此外，我们还鉴定了与各种精子发生细胞类型相关的独特基因表达特征。(2) 方法：为了研究小鼠和猪的精子发生差异，我们构建了一个单细胞 RNA 数据集。(3) 结果：我们的研究结果表明，这两个物种的睾丸细胞簇存在显著差异。此外，还观察到不同区域的附睾上皮细胞存在不同的基因表达模式。有趣的是，在小鼠的附睾主细胞簇中也鉴定到了区域基因表达模式。此外，通过分析小鼠和猪模型中与附睾相关的差异表达基因，我们成功地鉴定了与每个研究物种的精子发生和成熟相关的潜在标记基因。(4) 结论：本研究对睾丸和附睾组织进行了全面的单细胞图谱分析，揭示了精子发生和精子成熟过程中涉及的复杂机制，特别是在小鼠和猪模型中。
