Yang Nan, Wei Xiao-Ge, Li Kaiying, Wang Fei, Song Fei, Sun Wenjing, Wang Yan, Zhao Zhenning, Mu Jing, Ma Huisheng
College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China; Key Laboratory of Modernization of Minority Medicine, Ministry of Education, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China.
Lianyungang No. 1 People's Hospital, Lianyungang 222000, Jiangsu Province, China.
Exp Mol Pathol. 2025 Mar;141:104948. doi: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2024.104948. Epub 2024 Dec 18.
Male infertility is most commonly caused by oligozoospermia, and its pathogenesis is still poorly understood at the molecular level. This study used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology to identify candidate genes and regulatory pathways that regulate semen quality in the hypothalamic, pituitary, and testicular tissues of healthy rats and Adenine-induced oligozoospermia model rats. Semen quality testing and histological analysis of testicular tissues were performed on both groups of rats. We identified 627, 692, and 437 differentially expressed genes in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and testes, respectively. Functional analysis indicates that "neuronal projections," "positive regulation of hormone biosynthetic process," and "neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathways" are closely related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) axis hormone regulation and sperm production. Seven genes (Pomc, Rxfp1, Tac1, Npy, Insl3, Hsd3b3, Lhcgr) have been identified as key candidate genes responsible for regulating sperm quality within the HPT axis, potentially affecting rat reproductive function by influencing testicular development and testosterone secretion. These data provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of reproductive performance in a rat model of oligoasthenozoospermia.
男性不育最常见的原因是少精子症，其发病机制在分子水平上仍知之甚少。本研究使用RNA测序（RNA-Seq）技术，以鉴定在健康大鼠和腺嘌呤诱导的少精子症模型大鼠的下丘脑、垂体和睾丸组织中调节精液质量的候选基因和调控通路。对两组大鼠都进行了精液质量检测和睾丸组织的组织学分析。我们分别在下丘脑、垂体和睾丸中鉴定出627、692和437个差异表达基因。功能分析表明，“神经突起”、“激素生物合成过程的正调控”和“神经活性配体-受体相互作用通路”与下丘脑-垂体-睾丸（HPT）轴激素调节和精子生成密切相关。七个基因（Pomc、Rxfp1、Tac1、Npy、Insl3、Hsd3b3、Lhcgr）已被确定为负责在HPT轴内调节精子质量的关键候选基因，可能通过影响睾丸发育和睾酮分泌来影响大鼠的生殖功能。这些数据为进一步了解少弱精子症大鼠模型生殖性能的分子机制提供了理论依据。
