Transcriptome Sequencing and Comparative Analysis of Amphoteric ESCs and PGCs in Chicken (Gallus gallus)

Abstract

Chicken (Gallus gallus) pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and primordial germ cells (PGCs) can be broadly applied in the research of developmental and embryonic biology, but the difference between amphoteric ESCs and PGCs is still elusive. This study determined the sex of collected samples by identifying specific sex markers via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). RNA-seq was utilized to investigate the transcriptomic profile of amphoteric ESCs and PGCs in chicken. The results showed no significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in amphoteric ESCs and 227 DEGs exhibited in amphoteric PGCs. Moreover, those 227 DEGs were mainly enriched in 17 gene ontology (GO) terms and 27 pathways according to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Furthermore, qRT-PCR was performed to verify RNA-seq results, and the results demonstrated that Notch1 was highly expressed in male PGCs. In summary, our results provided a knowledge base of chicken amphoteric ESCs and PGCs, which is helpful for future research in relevant biological processes.

Tle4z1 Facilitate the Male Sexual Differentiation of Chicken Embryos

“…At different development stages of chicken embryos, germ cells were carried out by RNA-seq ( Jin et al, 2020a ). According to the result, 1021 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found in ESCs, including 517 DEGs in males and 504 DEGs in females, while 8,057 differentially expressed genes in PGCs, including 5,833 DEGs in males and 2,674 DEGs in females.…”

Comparative Analysis of mRNA and lncRNA Expression Profiles in Testicular Tissue of Sexually Immature and Sexually Mature Mongolian Horses

“…Secondly, spermatocytes undergo two consecutive meiotic divisions to form haploid round spermatids, with the prophase of meiosis being particularly complex and critical, including the leptotene, zygotene, pachytene, and diplotene stages. Finally, round spermatids undergo morphological and biochemical changes to form mature elongated spermatozoa [ 4 ]. These spermatozoa, carrying either X or Y chromosomes, combine with eggs in the ampulla of the fallopian tubes of female animals to develop into zygotes, marking the beginning of a new life [ 5 ].…”

Preliminary insights into the molecular mechanism of energy metabolism on sex differentiation in chickens based on transcriptome sequencing

“…Our team has been researching the mechanism of sex determination in chickens for a long time and has discovered that Jun and Ube21 [4,5] can participate in the female sex determination process during the development of the chicken embryo whereas Hmgcs, Spin1z, and Tle4z1[6-8] can take part in the male sex determination process. However, the e cacy of sex reversal by interfering with these genes is more than 40 percent [9], showing that there is still a considerable amount of work to be done to isolate and identify the critical genes for chicken sex determination. This study aims to examine the differentially expressed genes in chicken male gonads and female gonads tissues by high-throughput sequencing, and to initially construct a regulatory network for sex determination and differentiation in chickens by GO analysis and Protein-Protein Interactions Network, to lay the theoretical groundwork for further screening key genes for sex determination and establishing a sex control system in chickens.…”