The Sertoli cell marker FOXD1 regulates testis development and function in the chicken
Xiaofan Yu A , Yangyang Yuan A , Lingyun Qiao A , Yanzhang Gong A and Yanping Feng
A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology and College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China.
B Corresponding author. Email: fengyanping594@mail.hzau.edu.cn
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 31(5) 867-874 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD18214
Submitted: 8 June 2018 Accepted: 28 November 2018 Published: 15 January 2019
Abstract
FOXD1, one of the transcription factors of the FOX family, has been shown to be important for mammalian reproduction but little is known about its function in avian species. In the present study, we identified the expression pattern and location of FOXD1 in chicken tissues and testis by performing quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, and further investigated the regulatory relationship of FOXD1 with genes involved in testis development by RNA interference. Our results showed that FOXD1 is confirmed to be significantly male-biased expressed in the brain, kidney and testis of adults as well as in embryonic gonads, and it is localised in the testicular Sertoli cell in chicken, consistent with its localisation in mammals. After knock-down of FOXD1 in chicken Sertoli cells, the expression of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) and PKA regulatory subunits type I α (RIα) was significantly downregulated, expression of androgen receptor (AR) was notably increased whereas double-sex and MAB-3-related transcription factor 1 (DMRT1) showed no obvious change in expression. These results suggest that FOXD1 is an essential marker for Sertoli cells upstream of SOX9 expression and a potential regulator of embryonic testis differentiation and development and of normal testis function in the chicken.
Additional keywords: forkhead transcription factor, gene expression, gonad development, sex differentiation.
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