MAEL gene contributes to bovine testicular development through the m5C-mediated splicing

Shenhe Liu; Xiaoya Ma; Zichen Wang; Feng Lin; Ming Li; Yali Li; Liu Yang; Hossam E Rushdi; Hasan Riaz; Tengyun Gao; Liguo Yang; Tong Fu; Tingxian Deng

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.105941

MAEL gene contributes to bovine testicular development through the m5C-mediated splicing

iScience. 2023 Jan 6;26(2):105941. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.105941. eCollection 2023 Feb 17.

Authors

Shenhe Liu¹, Xiaoya Ma², Zichen Wang¹, Feng Lin¹, Ming Li¹, Yali Li³, Liu Yang³, Hossam E Rushdi⁴, Hasan Riaz⁵, Tengyun Gao¹, Liguo Yang⁶, Tong Fu¹, Tingxian Deng²

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
² Guangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Buffalo Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction Technology, Buffalo Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530001, China.
³ Wuhan Benagen Technology Co, Ltd, Wuhan 430000, China.
⁴ Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Punjab, Pakistan.
⁶ China Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.

Abstract

Knowledge of RNA molecules regulating testicular development and spermatogenesis in bulls is essential for elite bull selection and an ideal breeding program. Herein, we performed direct RNA sequencing (DRS) to explore the functional characterization of RNA molecules produced in the testicles of 9 healthy Simmental bulls at three testicular development stages (prepuberty, puberty, and postpuberty). We identified 5,043 differentially expressed genes associated with testicular weight. These genes exhibited more alternative splicing at sexual maturity, particularly alternative 3' (A3) and 5' (A5) splice sites usage and exon skipping (SE). The expression of hub genes in testicular developmental stages was also affected by both m6A and m5C RNA modifications. We found m5C-mediated splicing events significantly (p < 0.05) increased MAEL gene expression at the isoform level, likely promoting spermatogenesis. Our findings highlight the complexity of RNA processing and expression as well as the regulation of transcripts involved in testicular development and spermatogenesis.

Keywords: Animals; Developmental genetics; Transcriptomics.