Abstract
Simple SummaryPrecocious puberty is an excellent reproductive trait in domestic animals, which can generate higher breeding benefits in livestock production. However, regulators associated with this sexual maturation process remain largely unknown. Chinese Hezuo (HZ) boars are known for their early sexual maturity. In this work, the characteristics of precocious puberty in HZ pigs were confirmed by histological analysis, and some important long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and mRNA were identified in the testes of immature (30-day-old) and mature (120-day-old) HZ boars, which could play a key role in precocious puberty. These results will provide a theoretical basis for further research on the regulatory mechanism of precocious puberty, which is important for accelerating the breeding process of highly fertile animals.Chinese HZ boars are typical plateau miniature boars characterized by precocious puberty, which is closely related to testicular development and spermatogenesis. Accumulating evidence indicates that lncRNA is involved in the testicular development and regulation of spermatogenesis. However, little is known about the lncRNA precocious regulation in testicular development and spermatogenesis on early sexual maturity of HZ boars. Thus, we investigated the expression and characterization of lncRNA and mRNA in 30-day-old and 120-day-old HZ boar testes using transcriptome to explore precocious puberty. Landrace (LC) boar was treated as the control. Histological analyses indicated that HZ boar underwent puberty development at an earlier stage than LC boar and had achieved sexual maturity at 120 days old. RNA-Seq yielded a total of 187 lncRNAs and 984 mRNAs; these molecules were identified as possible candidates for precocious puberty. GO terms and KEGG pathways enrichment analyses revealed that the differentially expressed lncRNA and their targeted genes were involved in metabolic pathways regulating testis development and spermatogenesis, such as the PI3K-Akt, TGF-beta and Wnt pathways. Further screening, some lncRNA (such as LOC102166140, LOC110259451, and MSTRG.15011.2), and mRNA (such as PDCL2, HSD17B4, SHCBP1L, CYP21A2, and SPATA3) were found to be possibly associated with precocious puberty, which would add to our understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanisms of precocious puberty. This study provided valuable information for further study of the role of lncRNA and mRNA in the process of precocious puberty.
Highlights
Precocious puberty is an excellent reproductive trait in domestic animals and can improve breeding efficiency, but it is generally manifested as a pathological condition in humans [1]
These results showed that the testicular development of HZ boars was earlier than that of LC
The type and number of spermatogenic cells were more abundant in the 120day-old HZ boar compared with the testes of the LC boar, and mature spermatozoa were observed (Table S2)
Summary
Precocious puberty is an excellent reproductive trait in domestic animals and can improve breeding efficiency, but it is generally manifested as a pathological condition in humans [1]. Many scholars have researched this excellent trait in domestic animals. De Camargo et al found that the mutation of exon T/A (chr29:12,999) of JY-1 gene in Nellore female cattle was significantly associated with sexual precocity [2]. Su et al identified some candidate genes (including KISS-1, GPR54, GNRH1, CACNA1C). Related to precocity in Jining gray goats. Alleles B and D of GPR54 gene were significantly associated with this trait [3,4]. Kang et al revealed that CCT6A plays an important role in the process of sexual prematurity in Jining Bairi chicken [5]. Ding et al observed that various types of germ cells appeared in the testicular spermatogenic tubules of 75-day-old Meishan boars but not in 75-day-old Duroc boars, indicating that
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