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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Reproduction
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1417530
This article is part of the Research Topic Nervous System and Reproduction: A Highly Integrative Partnership View all 4 articles

Integration analysis of pituitary proteome and transcriptome reveals fertility-related biomarkers in FecB mutant Small Tail Han sheep

Provisionally accepted
Xiangyu Wang Xiangyu Wang 1Xiaofei Guo Xiaofei Guo 2Xiaoyun He Xiaoyun He 1Ran Di Ran Di 1Xiaosheng Zhang Xiaosheng Zhang 2Jinlong Zhang Jinlong Zhang 2Mingxing Chu Mingxing Chu 1*
  • 1 Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
  • 2 Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tianjin, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The Booroola fecundity mutation (FecB) in Small Tail Han sheep has been shown to enhance ovulation rates and litter sizes by affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Despite the pituitary's role in reproductive regulation, its involvement in FecB-induced ovulation remains understudied. Our study aimed to fill this gap by analyzing pituitary tissues from FecB homozygous (BB) and wild-type (WW) ewes during luteal and follicular phases using tandem mass tag-based protein quantification and the DIABLO framework for proteomic and transcriptomic data integration. Significant differences in 277 proteins were observed across estrus periods, with network analysis highlighting the voltage-dependent calcium channel L-type alpha-1C as a key convergence point in oxytocin signaling and GnRH secretion pathways. The DIABLO method revealed a strong correlation (0.98) between proteomic and transcriptomic datasets, indicating a coordinated response in FecB ewes. Notably, higher expression levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone Subunit Beta (FSHB) and Luteinizing Hormone Subunit Beta (LHB) were found in BB ewes during the follicular phase, potentially due to elevated E2 concentrations. Furthermore, our analysis identified genes related to the Gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor family (GABRA2, GABRG1, GABRB1) in the pituitary, with GABRB1 showing higher expression in BB ewes. This suggests a role for GABA in modulating GnRH and gonadotropin feedback loops, potentially contributing to the FecB mutation's effect on ovulation. This study provides novel insights into the pituitary's role in fertility among FecB sheep, identifying GABA as a potential regulatory factor within the HPG axis. The findings also open avenues for discovering new biomarkers in pituitary endocrinology for sheep breeding purposes.

    Keywords: FecB, Small Tail Han sheep, Fertility, Pituitary, Transcriptome, Proteome, Integration analysis

    Received: 15 Apr 2024; Accepted: 04 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Guo, He, Di, Zhang, Zhang and Chu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mingxing Chu, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

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