State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China; Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
Department of Animal Production, General Station of Animal Husbandry of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610041, China.
Poult Sci. 2024 Nov;103(11):104233. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104233. Epub 2024 Aug 17.
A deep understanding of the dynamics and mechanisms of male reproductive tract development is necessary for adoption of either genetic techniques or environmental management practices for improving fertility and hatchability in poultry. However, compared with other poultry such as chickens and ducks, less is known about the age- and breed-related changes in the reproductive tract development of domestic goose ganders exhibiting relatively poor reproductive performance as well as the regulatory mechanisms. In the present study, by taking 2 Chinese domestic goose breeds (Sichuan White goose, SW and Gang goose, GE; Anser cygnoides) and one European goose breed (Landes goose, LD; Anser anser) as the experimental objects, we comprehensive analyzed the morphological, histological, and genome-wide transcriptomic variations in their testicular and external genital development during the period from hatching to sexual maturity. Results from histomorphological analysis demonstrated that the reproductive tract of all goose breeds developed in both age- and breed-dependent manners, and the left and right testis developed asymmetrically throughout posthatch development. The tenth week posthatch was a critical developmental stage for all goose ganders, because both the testicular and external genital histomorphological parameters significantly changed before and after this period. During the first 10 wk posthatch, the weight, organ index, or size of male reproductive organs developed more rapidly in SW than in LD, and so were the testicular parenchymal-to-interstitial ratio and the external genital lymphatic lumen diameter. However, the testicular seminiferous epithelium thickness, seminiferous tubule diameter, and Leydig cell number, as well as the external genital keratinized epithelium thickness were significantly higher in LD than in SW at 10 wk of age. Through comparative transcriptomics analysis and RT-qPCR validation, several pathways related to germ and somatic cell function, organ remodeling, and energy metabolism were thought to be responsible for the developmental variations in the early testicular development between Chinese and European domestic ganders, where 10 hub genes involved in the cell cycle, RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription, and mitotic cell division pathways might play essential roles. These data shed new light on the interbreed differences in the male goose reproductive tract development and the molecular mechanisms regulating male goose testicular functions and fertility.
深入了解雄性生殖道发育的动态和机制对于采用遗传技术或环境管理措施来提高家禽的繁殖力和孵化率是必要的。然而，与鸡、鸭等其他家禽相比，对于表现出较差繁殖性能的家养鹅种（如四川白鹅（SW）和溆浦鹅（GE））的生殖道发育的年龄和品种相关变化以及调控机制知之甚少。在本研究中，我们以 2 个中国家养鹅品种（四川白鹅和溆浦鹅）和 1 个欧洲鹅品种（朗德鹅）为实验对象，全面分析了从孵化到性成熟期间睾丸和外生殖器发育的形态、组织学和全基因组转录组变化。组织形态学分析结果表明，所有鹅品种的生殖道均呈年龄和品种依赖性发育，并且在整个孵化后发育过程中左右睾丸不对称发育。孵化后第 10 周是所有鹅公鹅的一个关键发育阶段，因为在此之前和之后，睾丸和外生殖器的组织形态学参数都发生了显著变化。在孵化后前 10 周，SW 种鹅的公鹅生殖器官的重量、器官指数或大小比 LD 种鹅发育得更快，睾丸实质与间质的比例和外生殖器淋巴腔直径也是如此。然而，在 10 周龄时，LD 种鹅的睾丸精上皮厚度、精小管直径和 Leydig 细胞数量以及外生殖器角质化上皮厚度明显高于 SW 种鹅。通过比较转录组学分析和 RT-qPCR 验证，一些与生殖细胞和体细胞功能、器官重塑和能量代谢相关的途径被认为是导致中国和欧洲家养鹅早期睾丸发育差异的原因，其中涉及细胞周期、RNA 聚合酶 II 依赖性转录和有丝分裂细胞分裂途径的 10 个关键基因可能发挥重要作用。这些数据为雄性鹅生殖道发育的品种间差异以及调节雄性鹅睾丸功能和繁殖力的分子机制提供了新的见解。
