Temporal and Spatial Expression Characteristics of Leptin and Its Receptor in Yak (Bos grunniens) Epididymis
WANG Xiao-Yan1, CUI Yan1,2,*, YU Si-Jiu1,2, MA Rui1, HE Jun-Feng1, ZHANG Qian1, LONG-Min1
1 College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; 2 Technology and Research Center of Gansu Province for Embryonic Engineering of Bovine and Sheep & Goat, Lanzhou 730070, China
Abstract：Leptin and leptin receptor (LEPR) play important roles in the regulation of male reproduction. This study was conducted to investigate the distribution characteristics and possible roles of Leptin and LEPR in the caput, corpus, and cauda of yak (Bos grunniens) epididymis. Epididymal tissues of yaks of different ages were collected to detect exact distribution and expression levels of Leptin and LEPR in the caput, corpus, and cauda of epididymis using qPCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry techniques. Immunohistochemical results showed Leptin and LEPR mainly expressed in the epididymal epithelial cells, basal cells, and smooth muscle cells. qPCR results showed that the gene expression levels of Leptin and LEPR in the caput, corpus and cauda of the epididymis of juvenile yak were significantly higher than those of adult and eged yak (P<0.05), and the expression levels of Leptin and LEPR in the cauda of the juvenile yak were significantly higher than those in the caput and corpus of the epididymis of juvenile yak (P<0.05) and there was no significant difference in the caput and corpus of the epididymis of juvenile yak (P>0.05); Leptin and LEPR were not significantly different in the caput, corpus and cauda of the epididymis of adult and aged yaks (P>0.05). Western blot results showed that Leptin and LEPR were expressed in the epididymis of yaks at different ages, and the expression levels of Leptin and LEPR were the highest in juvenile yaks, and decreased successively from juvenile, adult and aged yaks. Western blot results showed that Leptin and LEPR proteins were attached in yaks at different ages. The expression level was the highest in the young group, and showed a decreasing trend from juvenile, adult and old age, with significant differences among different ages (P<0.05); Leptin and LEPR proteins were found to have the highest expression levels in the cauda of juvenile epididymis. There was no significant difference between the caput of the epididymis and the corpus of the epididymis (P>0.05), but there was significant difference between the cauda of the epididymis and the two parts of the epididymis (P<0.05). At the same time, the expression levels of Leptin and LEPR proteins were the highest in the cauda of juvenile epididymis, and there was no significant difference between the two proteins in the caput of juvenile epididymis and the corpus of juvenile epididymis (P>0.05). The expression levels of Leptin and LEPR proteins in adult and aged epididymis were cauda>caput>corpus, and there were significant differences among different parts (P<0.05). The expression levels of Leptin and LEPR were also different in different parts of the epididymis, and the caudal epididymis was relatively the highest, indicating that the caudal environment had a high concentration of Leptin. The temporal and spatial expression differences of Leptin and LEPR in yak epididymis suggest that Leptin and LEPR play important roles in the maturation, storage and energy conservation of yak sperm. This study provides certain research data for the reproductive regulation mechanism of male yaks in plateau environment.
王晓艳, 崔燕, 余四九, 马睿, 何俊峰, 张虔, 龙敏. 瘦素及其受体在牦牛附睾的时空表达特性[J]. 农业生物技术学报, 2024, 32(2): 334-343.
WANG Xiao-Yan, CUI Yan, YU Si-Jiu, MA Rui, HE Jun-Feng, ZHANG Qian, LONG-Min. Temporal and Spatial Expression Characteristics of Leptin and Its Receptor in Yak (Bos grunniens) Epididymis. 农业生物技术学报, 2024, 32(2): 334-343.
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