Bülbül Bülent, Doğan Şükrü, Dayanıklı Cemal, Kırbaş Mesut, Şengül Ebru, Kal Yavuz, Yaman Yalçın
Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, TR-35890, İzmir, Türkiye.
Department of Animal Breeding, Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute, Karatay, TR-42020, Konya, Türkiye.
Cryobiology. 2025 Mar;118:105197. doi: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2025.105197. Epub 2025 Jan 18.
Fewer studies investigate the effects of underlying genetic factors related to semen characteristics, significantly affecting sheep farm profitability. This study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and genomic regions associated with fresh and frozen-thawed semen traits in rams with low (Hasak) and high (Hasmer) cryotolerance. Semen collected from 11 (5 Hasak with low and 6 Hasmer with high cryotolerance) rams cryopreserved in 0.25 ml straws in the breeding season. Quality characteristics were determined in fresh, equilibrated, and frozen-thawed semen. A Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) was conducted to unveil the genetic structure that might be attributed to cryotolerance in low and high cryotoleranced rams. Fresh (regarding total and progressive motility) and equilibrated semen quality were similar in Hasak and Hasmer rams (p > 0.6). However, the freeze-thawing process had a more pronounced negative effect on ram semen traits in Hasak than in Hasmer (p < 0.05). GWAS revealed 27 SNPs correlated with post-thaw semen parameters. Moreover, network analyses revealed pathways related to sperm ion channels and their activities, providing insights into the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying sperm physiology and emphasizing their role in potentially impacting sperm cryotolerance. The functional significance of detected SNPs and the associated pathways require further exploration.
较少有研究调查与精液特征相关的潜在遗传因素的影响，而这些因素会显著影响养羊场的盈利能力。本研究旨在识别与低冷冻耐受性（哈萨克）和高冷冻耐受性（哈斯默）公羊的新鲜和冻融精液性状相关的单核苷酸多态性（SNP）和基因组区域。在繁殖季节，从11只公羊（5只冷冻耐受性低的哈萨克公羊和6只冷冻耐受性高的哈斯默公羊）采集精液，并保存在0.25毫升的细管中。对新鲜、平衡和冻融后的精液进行质量特征测定。进行了全基因组关联研究（GWAS），以揭示可能归因于低冷冻耐受性和高冷冻耐受性公羊冷冻耐受性的遗传结构。哈萨克公羊和哈斯默公羊的新鲜精液（关于总活力和前向运动性）以及平衡后的精液质量相似（p>0.6）。然而，冻融过程对哈萨克公羊精液性状的负面影响比对哈斯默公羊更明显（p<0.05）。GWAS揭示了27个与解冻后精液参数相关的SNP。此外，网络分析揭示了与精子离子通道及其活性相关的途径，为精子生理学潜在的复杂分子机制提供了见解，并强调了它们在潜在影响精子冷冻耐受性方面的作用。检测到的SNP和相关途径的功能意义需要进一步探索。
