Male infertility affects approximately 7% of the male population, and about 15% of these cases are predicted to have a genetic etiology. One gene implicated in autosomal dominant male infertility, SYCP2, encodes a protein critical for the synapsis of...
Testis-specific genes play an essential part in the centromere union during meiosis in male germ cells, spermatogenesis, and in fertility. Previously, there was no research report available on the expression pattern of SYCP3 and TSEG2 genes in differ...
Male germ cells directly affect the reproduction of males; however, their accurate isolation and culture in vitro is extremely challenging, hindering the study of germ cell development and function. CRISPR/dcas9, as an efficient gene reprogramming sy...
Heterochiasmy, a sex-based difference in recombination rate, has been detected in many species of animals and plants. Several hypotheses about evolutionary causes of heterochiasmy were proposed. However, there is a shortage of empirical data. In this...
We analyzed the synapsis and recombination between Z and W chromosomes in the oocytes of nine neognath species: domestic chicken Gallus gallus domesticus, grey goose Anser anser, black tern Chlidonias niger, common tern Sterna hirundo, pale martin Ri...
In this study, the epididymal histology, caepididymal sperm physiological parameters, serum reproductive hormones, and antioxidant enzyme SOD levels of Tibetan sheep at a 2500 m and 3500 m altitude were compared by using a combination of transcriptom...
Hybrid sterility is an important step in the speciation process. Hybrids between dwarf hamsters Phodopus sungorus and P. campbelli provide a good model for studies in cytological and genetic mechanisms of hybrid sterility. Previous studies in hybrids...
The germline-restricted chromosome (GRC) is a unique and enigmatic element found exclusively in the germ cells of passerine birds, with its function and evolutionary dynamics still largely unresolved. This study utilizes cytogenetic analysis of the E...
During the first meiotic prophase, the cohesin complex is localized to the chromosome axis and contributes to chromosome organization, pairing, synapsis, and recombination. The PDS5 protein, an accessory factor of the cohesin complex, is known to be...
High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) are important agents, responsible for a large percentage of the 745,000 cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), which were identified worldwide in 2020. In addition to being virally induced, tob...
Male reproductive health is largely determined already in the early development of the testis. Although much work has been carried out to study the mechanisms of testicular development and spermatogenesis, there was previously no information on the d...
Meiosis involves a series of specific chromosome events, namely homologous synapsis, recombination, and segregation. Disruption of either recombination or synapsis in mammals results in the interruption of meiosis progression during the first meiotic...
Cortisol is the major endocrine factor mediating the inhibitory effects of stress on vertebrate reproduction. It is well known that cortisol affects reproduction by interacting with the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonads axis, leading to downs...
MFN1 (Mitofusin 1) and MFN2 (Mitofusin 2) are GTPases essential for mitochondrial fusion. Published studies revealed crucial roles of both Mitofusins during embryonic development. Despite the unique mitochondrial organization in sperm flagella, the b...
The cryopreservation of testicular tissues meets the demands for the germplasm preservation of humans and animals. Previously, we reported on the cryopreservation of bovine testicular tissues. To further evaluate the viability of these tissues, subcu...
Nonhomologous chromosome interactions take place in both somatic and meiotic cells. Prior to this study, we had discovered special contacts through the SYCP3 (synaptonemal complex protein 3) filament between the short arms of nonhomologous acrocentri...
Animals show diverse processes of gametogenesis in the evolutionary pathway. Here, we characterized the spermatogenic cells in the testis of the marine invertebrate Ciona robusta. Ciona sperm differentiate in a non-cystic type of testis, comprising m...
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) show a variety of biological and clinical characteristics that could depend on the association with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Biological and clinical characterization is essential to stratify patie...
Phosphate has been widely used in beef to improve processing characteristics such as tenderness and water-holding capacity. However, the effects of phosphates on the quality and especially the flavor of beef are not well understood. This study invest...
The generation of oocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) was proven efficient with mouse cells. However, no human iPSCs have yet been reported to generate cells able to complete oogenesis. Additionally, efficient sorting of human Primord...
Ovine litter size (LS) is an important trait showing variability within breeds. It remains largely unknown whether inbreeding depression on LS exists based on genomic homozygous regions, and whether the homozygous regions resulted from inbreeding are...
The quail Coturnix coturnix is a seasonal breeding species, with the annual reproductive cycle of its testes comprising an activation phase and a regression phase. Our previous results have proven that the testicular levels of both 17β-estradiol (E2)...
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are unique adult stem cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation into sperm. Grouper is a protogynous hermaphroditic fish farmed widely in the tropical and subtropical seas. In this study, we established an SSC...
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs with a covalently closed loop. Studies have demonstrated that circRNA can function as microRNA (miRNA) sponges or competing endogenous RNAs. Although circRNA has been explored in some species and...
Polystyrene Microplastics (PS-MPs) affect testicular activity, as evidenced by increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy activation, impairing steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis. The present study investigates, for the first time in vivo,...
Alkylating agents and irradiation induce testicular damage, which results in prolonged azoospermia. Even very low doses of radiation can significantly impair testis function. However, re-irradiation is an effective strategy for locally targeted treat...
Larimichthys crocea is an economically important marine fish in China. To date, the molecular mechanisms underlying testicular development and spermatogenesis in L. crocea have not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we conducted a comparative...
This study investigated the pathological processes by which two Salmonella strains induce orchitis and impair spermatogenesis in mice, with emphasis on inflammation and blood–testis barrier (BTB) integrity. Thirty male Kunming mice were randoml...
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...
Organoids play pivotal roles in uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying organogenesis, intercellular communication, and high-throughput drug screening. Testicular organoids are essential for exploring the genetic and epigenetic regulation of s...
Spermatogenesis is a complicated process involving mitotically proliferating spermatogonial cells, meiotically dividing spermatocytes, and spermatid going through maturation into spermatozoa. The post-translational modifications of proteins play impo...
α-linolenic acid (ALA) has been reported to benefit testicular function. However, dietary ALA is extensively metabolized in the rumen, whereas isolated cell models do not retain seminiferous tubule structure or interactions among testicular cel...
The conspicuous colour sexual dimorphism of guppies has made them paradigmatic study objects for sex-linked traits and sex chromosome evolution. Both the X- and Y-chromosomes of the common guppy (Poecilia reticulata) are genetically active and homomo...
X and Y chromosomes in mammals are different in size and gene content due to an evolutionary process of differentiation and degeneration of the Y chromosome. Nevertheless, these chromosomes usually share a small region of homology, the pseudoautosoma...
Endocrine therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment for estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-positive breast cancer, yet the relationship between individual genetic background and molecular response to ERα-targeted therapy remains incompletel...
Triazole fungicides are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. However, their specific effects on the male reproductive system remain unclear. We investigated the toxicological effects of hexaconazole (HEX) on testicular function and elucidated its u...
In livestock farming, the reproductive function and breeding performance of Tan sheep are crucial for enhancing farming efficiency. Despite advances in research on sheep germ cells, studies on the identification of markers for spermatogonia, spermato...
Optimizing the cultivation system is crucial for tissue culture. The culture of cryopreserved testicular tissues is of great importance for the germplasm preservation of endangered animals and especially to ensure high-quality and high-output livesto...
Follicle development is a critical process in mammalian reproduction, with significant implications for ovarian reserve and fertility. Stra8 is a known key factor regulating the initiation of meiosis; however, oocyte-like cells still appear in Stra8-...
High levels of free D-aspartate (D-Asp) are present in vertebrate testis during post-natal development, coinciding with the onset of testosterone production, which suggests that this atypical amino acid might participate in the regulation of hormone...
Objective: SUMOylation is a crucial protein modification that regulates various physiological and pathological processes. Ubc9 serves as a key ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme in the process of SUMOylation. However, the role of Ubc9 has yet to be elucida...
Triploid turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) exhibit superior growth and survival, yet the molecular basis of their sterility—a key trait for aquaculture—remains largely unexplored. This study investigated ovarian development and transcriptomic...
High-throughput transcriptomic analyses have identified numerous candidate miRNA–mRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulatory networks in teleosts, but most remain without systematic functional validation or mechanistic definition. Here, by...
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are crucial regulators of the eukaryotic cell cycle. The critical role of CDK2 in the progression of meiosis was demonstrated in a single mammalian species, the mouse. We used immunocytochemistry to study the localizat...
Detection of selection footprints provides insight into the evolution process and the underlying mechanisms controlling the phenotypic diversity of traits that have been exposed to selection. Selection focused on certain characters, mapping certain g...