Abstract
The European bison is still an animal endangered with extinction, so by learning factors that regulate its reproduction, we can contribute to the survival of this species. On the other hand, autophagy is a dynamic, lisosomal, and evolutionary conserved process which is essential for animal cell survival, homeostasis, and differentiation. This process was demonstrated in many species and in many organs; however, information on the metabolic course of autophagy in the male reproductive system in seasonally reproducing species is lacking. Therefore, in this study, we examined for the first time several autophagy-related factors (mTOR, ULK1, Atg13, PI3K, beclin1, beclin2, Atg14, Atg5, Atg16L, LC3) in testicular and epididymal tissues obtained from adult male individuals of the European bison. We compared the level of gene expression, protein synthesis, and localization of autophagy-related factors between June, September, and December (before, during, and after reproductive activity, respectively). We confirmed that the induction of autophagy was at the highest level in the period after reproductive activity, i.e., in December, when a significant increase in the gene and protein expression was observed for the majority of these factors, probably to ensure cellular protection. However, autophagy was also clearly marked in September, during the intense spermatogenesis, and this may indicate a great demand for autophagy-related proteins required for the normal development of reproductive cells. Obtained results seem to confirm that autophagy pathway, as a consequence of seasonal reproduction, may control the normal course of spermatogenesis in the male European bison.
Highlights
The endangered European bison (Bison bonasus) is a seasonally breeding animal with a clearly marked increase in the reproductive activity at the turn of August and September
RT PCR, and immunohistochemistry analyses were conducted to evaluate the differences in the expression levels of proteins and genes related to autophagy in the testis and the epididymis of the adult European bison between June, September, and December
The first factor deciding about the induction of autophagy is mTOR kinase, which acts as a sensor for cellular levels of energy compounds, growth factors, and nutrients
Summary
The endangered European bison (Bison bonasus) is a seasonally breeding animal with a clearly marked increase in the reproductive activity at the turn of August and September. In the European bison, the seasonality of reproduction results from cyclical changes in the structure and activity of the testis and the epididymis, and indicates the presence of molecular mechanisms responsible for the stimulation of cell proliferation and the induction of spermatogenesis in the reproductive period. These processes are strictly regulated by a Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved physiological process regulating cellular degradation by phagocytosis of. It was shown that autophagy is a key process regulating testicular development (Huang and Li 2014) and spermatogenesis (Wang et al 2014); exact mechanisms have not been proposed
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