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Biology
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The Biology of Animal Reproduction
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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 5099

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jingli Tao

E-Mail Website
Guest 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

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1680 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Superovulated Embryo Quality in Simmental Cattle Inseminated with 0 °C-Refrigerated and Liquid Nitrogen-Frozen Semen
by Jie-Ru Wang, Fei Huang, Peng Niu, Hong Cheng, Hui-Min Qu, Xiao-Peng Li, Xue-Yan Wang, Jie Wang, Jia-Jia Suo, Di Fang and Qing-Hua Gao
Biology 2025, 14(6), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14060658 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 313
Abstract
Semen quality plays a crucial role in bovine in vivo embryo production. This study aimed to compare the effects of 0 °C-refrigerated semen and liquid nitrogen-frozen semen on embryo quality in Simmental cattle. Semen collected from five bulls was equally divided into two [...] Read more.
Semen quality plays a crucial role in bovine in vivo embryo production. This study aimed to compare the effects of 0 °C-refrigerated semen and liquid nitrogen-frozen semen on embryo quality in Simmental cattle. Semen collected from five bulls was equally divided into two groups: one diluted with a 0 °C refrigeration solution and stored at 0 °C, and the other diluted with a cryopreservation solution and stored in liquid nitrogen for 24 h. We evaluated sperm motility, progressive motility (assessed via a computer-assisted sperm analyzer), acrosome integrity, and plasma membrane integrity in both groups. Fifty superovulated Simmental cows were artificially inseminated with semen from both groups. Embryos were non-surgically flushed on day seven, followed by BrdU proliferation staining and TUNEL apoptosis staining. Proliferation and apoptosis levels were quantified using marker genes. Results showed that 0 °C-refrigerated semen exhibited significantly higher sperm motility, progressive motility, acrosome integrity, and plasma membrane integrity compared to liquid nitrogen-frozen semen (p < 0.05). While total embryo numbers showed no significant difference between groups (p ≥ 0.05), embryos from 0 °C-refrigerated semen contained significantly more proliferative cells (p < 0.05) and fewer apoptotic cells (p < 0.05) than those from frozen semen. These findings demonstrate that 0 °C-refrigerated semen outperforms liquid nitrogen-frozen semen in both sperm quality parameters and resultant embryo quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Biology of Animal Reproduction)
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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 2923
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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Figure 1

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 1340
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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