The Biology of Animal Reproduction

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental and Reproductive Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 4317

Special Issue Editor

College of Animal Science & Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: regulation of animal reproduction; follicular development and atresia; gamete and embryo development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue entitled “The Biology of Animal Reproduction”, which aims to explore the latest advancements in reproductive biology across various animal species. This Special Issue will focus on the complex mechanisms that regulate reproductive processes, highlighting their importance in both fundamental research and animal breeding and conservation. Reproductive biology plays a pivotal role in understanding the continuity of species, the regulation of fertility, and developmental processes. Recent discoveries related to the molecular, genetic, and physiological aspects of animal reproduction are transforming this field, offering novel solutions that enhance reproductive efficiency and health in livestock, wildlife, and laboratory animals.

This Special Issue aims to present high-quality research and review papers that cover a broad spectrum of topics related to animal reproduction. The scope of this Special Issue includes molecular mechanisms, genetic regulation, reproductive health, and bioengineering applications, aligning with the journal’s focus on developmental and reproductive biology.

We welcome the submission of papers that address the following topics:

  • The regulation of animal reproduction;
  • Follicular development and atresia;
  • Gamete and embryo development;
  • Hormonal control of reproductive processes;
  • Epigenetic regulation in reproductive biology.

I/we look forward to receiving your contributions and advancing our understanding of reproductive biology.

Dr. Jingli Tao
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • the regulation of animal reproduction
  • follicular development and atresia
  • gamete and embryo development
  • hormonal control of reproductive processes
  • epigenetic regulation in reproductive biology

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6099 KiB  
Article
Structural Rearrangement of the Olfactory Epithelium in Male Baikal Yellowfin Sculpins Across the Reproductive Period
by Igor V. Klimenkov, Mikhail V. Pastukhov, Hung-Ming Chang, Ting-Yi Renn and Nikolay P. Sudakov
Biology 2025, 14(2), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14020179 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 2748
Abstract
The morphological peculiarities of receptor neurons and support cells in the olfactory epithelium of male yellowfin sculpin (Cottocomephorus grewingkii; Dybowski, 1874) were studied during the pre-spawning, spawning (when males do not feed and have a higher sensitivity to female pheromones), and [...] Read more.
The morphological peculiarities of receptor neurons and support cells in the olfactory epithelium of male yellowfin sculpin (Cottocomephorus grewingkii; Dybowski, 1874) were studied during the pre-spawning, spawning (when males do not feed and have a higher sensitivity to female pheromones), and guarding (the fertilized eggs) periods. This study was performed using electron transmission and laser confocal microscopy. Structural changes in the fish olfactory epithelium are associated with the shift in olfactory signals from alimentary to pheromonal. These results expand our knowledge of the odorant-dependent plasticity of the periphery of the fish olfactory system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Biology of Animal Reproduction)
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17 pages, 6800 KiB  
Article
Deletion of ddx4 Ovary-Specific Transcript Causes Dysfunction of Meiosis and Derepress of DNA Transposons in Zebrafish Ovaries
by Yuanyuan Chen, Xing Lin, Jing Dai, Yifan Bai, Fei Liu and Daji Luo
Biology 2024, 13(12), 1055; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13121055 - 16 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1177
Abstract
Alternative splicing of ddx4 (DEAD-box helicase 4), a key germline marker gene, has been reported to generate sex-specific transcripts in zebrafish gonads. The biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of the ddx4 ovary-specific transcript (ddx4-L) during oogenesis remain unclear. In this study, [...] Read more.
Alternative splicing of ddx4 (DEAD-box helicase 4), a key germline marker gene, has been reported to generate sex-specific transcripts in zebrafish gonads. The biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of the ddx4 ovary-specific transcript (ddx4-L) during oogenesis remain unclear. In this study, we found that ddx4-L mutants, in which ddx4-L was specifically deleted, had enlarged ovaries but laid fewer eggs, along with having a lower fertilization rate compared to WT controls. RNA-seq analysis was performed to detect the changes in gene expression between WT and ddx4-L mutant ovaries. A total of 524 upregulated and 610 downregulated DEGs were identified. GO and GSEA enrichment analyses showed that genes involved in fertilization and reproduction biological processes were significantly downregulated. More specifically, we observed a remarkable reduction in Sycp1, a core component of synaptonemal complex, in ddx4-L mutant ovaries at both the mRNA and protein levels. In addition, the expressions of transposon elements, as well as the events of alternative splicing, alternative polyadenylation, and RNA editing, were analyzed based on the RNA-seq data. We found that the deletion of ddx4-L resulted in derepression of DNA transposons in zebrafish ovaries, possibly causing genome instability. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that the ovary-specific ddx4 transcript plays important roles in oocyte meiosis and DNA transposon repression, which extends our understanding of the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of sex-specific alternative splicing in zebrafish oogenesis and reproduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Biology of Animal Reproduction)
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