Effects of Oxidative Stress on Testicular Structure and Expression of Genes Related to Testosterone Synthesis in Roosters (Gallus gallus)
WU Bing-Yan1, CAO Yuan1, LIU Si-Li1, LIU Ya-Mei1, DING Xiang1, LING Yi-Qiang1, HU Wei1,2,*, FANG Man-Xin1, LIU Ben1,2,3, WANG Xiao-Yue1
1 College of Life Science and Resources and Environment, Yichun University, Yichun 336000, China; 2 Jiangxi Lvke Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Technology Co., Ltd., Yichun 336000, China; 3 Engineering Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Universities and Colleges for Selenium Agriculture, Yichun 336000, China
Abstract：During the process of growth and reproduction, poultry is susceptible to various stress factors, the most prominent of which is oxidative stress. To investigate the effects of oxidative stress on the testicular structure and expression of genes related to testosterone synthesis in chickens (Gallus gallus), 60 healthy Kangle yellow roosters aged 180 d were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control group, diquat 5 mg/kg group, diquat 15 mg/kg group and diquat 20 mg/kg group. Testicular tissue samples were collected after 21 d of treatment. qRT-PCR was used to identify the presence of oxidative stress by measuring the expressions of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1), and Antioxidant Function Assay Kit was used to detect the enzyme activities of catalase (CAT), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA). Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE staining) was used to analyze the effect of oxidative stress on testicular tissue structure. The relative protein expressions of apoptosis-related B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein (Bax), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Caspase3 were detected by using Western blot. The relative mRNA and protein expressions of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1 (Cyp11a1) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (Hsd3b1), which were involved in testosterone biosynthesis, were detected by using qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The results showed that the mRNA level of oxidative stress-related genes HO-1, Nrf2 and Gpx1 were significantly down-regulated in the testes of the different doses diquat groups when compared to the control group (P<0.05). CAT and T-SOD activity were significantly decreased (P<0.05), while MDA concentration was significantly increased (P<0.05). After diquat induction, the structure of chicken testes was damaged, and spermatogenesis in seminiferous tubules was significantly inhibited with severe cell apoptosis, according to HE staining. The protein expressions of Bax and Caspase3 were significantly up-regulated (P<0.05), while the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated (P<0.05) in diquat-treated testes compared to control group. The mRNA and protein expressions of testosterone synthesis-related genes StAR, Cyp11a1 and Hsd3b1 were significantly down-regulated in diquat-treated testes compared to control group (P<0.05). These results indicated that oxidative stress could damage the tissue structure of chicken testes, promote the apoptosis of testicular cells, and significantly inhibit the expression of genes involved in testosterone synthesis. This study can provide basic data for exploring the mechanism of oxidative stress damaging reproductive performance of chickens.
吴冰燕, 曹原, 刘思丽, 刘亚美, 丁香, 凌义强, 胡威, 方满新, 刘犇, 王小月. 氧化应激对公鸡睾丸组织结构及睾酮合成相关基因表达的影响[J]. 农业生物技术学报, 2024, 32(3): 605-616.
WU Bing-Yan, CAO Yuan, LIU Si-Li, LIU Ya-Mei, DING Xiang, LING Yi-Qiang, HU Wei, FANG Man-Xin, LIU Ben, WANG Xiao-Yue. Effects of Oxidative Stress on Testicular Structure and Expression of Genes Related to Testosterone Synthesis in Roosters (Gallus gallus). 农业生物技术学报, 2024, 32(3): 605-616.
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