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Expression of mi RNA s in Bull Spermatozoa Correlates with Fertility Rates
Author(s) -
Fagerlind M,
Stålhammar H,
Olsson B,
KlingaLevan K
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
reproduction in domestic animals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1439-0531
pISSN - 0936-6768
DOI - 10.1111/rda.12531
Subject(s) - rna , biology , fertility , andrology , gene , sperm , messenger rna , gene expression , transcriptome , semen , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , population , medicine , environmental health
Contents Bull spermatozoa are rich in active mi RNA s, and it has been shown that specific spermborne mi RNA s can be linked to fertility. Thus, expression profiling of spermatozoa could be helpful for understanding male fertility and the ability of spermatozoa to initiate and sustain zygotic, embryonic and foetal development. Herein we hypothesized that bulls with moderate to high fertility can be identified by differences in amounts of certain mi RNA s between their ejaculates. RNA samples from spermatozoa of eight brother pairs (one bull with high and one with moderate NRR in each pair) of the Holstein breed were prepared. mi RNA was isolated, and the expression of 178 mi RNA s was determined by RT ‐ qPCR . Important findings were that highly expressed mi RNA s, not linked to NRR status, were identified in the bull sperm samples, which indicate that these mi RNA s have an important role in early embryogenesis. A large fraction of the targets genes were phosphoproteins and genes involved in the regulation of transcription. Seven mi RNA s (mir‐502‐5p, mir‐1249, mir‐320a, mir‐34c‐3p, mir‐19b‐3p, mir‐27a‐5p and mir‐148b‐3p) were differentially expressed between bulls with moderate and high NRR with a strong tendency towards a higher expression of mi RNA s in bulls with moderate fertility. Thus, bulls with a moderate NRR negatively regulate the expression of protein‐coding genes, which leads to problems during the pregnancy.