1. Academic Validation
  2. Effects of N Acetylcysteine on the Expression of Genes Associated with Reproductive Performance in the Goat Uterus during Early Gestation

Effects of N Acetylcysteine on the Expression of Genes Associated with Reproductive Performance in the Goat Uterus during Early Gestation

  • Animals (Basel). 2022 Sep 15;12(18):2431. doi: 10.3390/ani12182431.
Kaibin Fu 1 2 3 Xiang Chen 1 2 3 Wei Guo 1 2 3 Zhinan Zhou 1 2 3 Yan Zhang 1 2 3 Taotao Ji 1 2 3 Peifang Yang 1 2 3 Xingzhou Tian 1 2 3 Weiwei Wang 1 2 3 Yue Zou 1 2 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in The Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Guiyang 550025, China.
  • 3 College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
Abstract

N acetylcysteine (NAC) affects antioxidation and Reactive Oxygen Species scavenging in the body and thereby promotes embryonic development and implantation and inhibits inflammation. The mechanism through which NAC regulates reproductive performance in the uteri of goats during early gestation remains unclear. In this study, the treatment group was fed 0.07% NAC for the first 35 days of gestation, whereas the control group received no NAC supplementation. The regulatory genes and key pathways associated with goat reproductive performance under NAC supplementation were identified by RNA-seq. RT-qPCR was used to verify the sequencing results and subsequently construct tissue expression profiles of the relevant genes. RNA-seq identified 19,796 genes coexpressed in the control and treatment groups and 1318 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 787 and 531 DEGs enriched in the treatment and control groups, respectively. A GO analysis revealed that the identified genes mapped to pathways such as cell activation, cytokine production, cell mitotic processes, and angiogenesis, and a KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in pathways associated with reproductive regulation, immune regulation, resistance to oxidative stress, and cell adhesion. The RT-qPCR analysis showed that BDNF and CSF-1 were most highly expressed in the uterus, that WIF1 and ESR2 showed low expression in the uterus, and that CTSS, PTX3, and TGFβ-3 were most highly expressed in the oviduct, which indicated that these genes may be directly or indirectly involved in the modulation of reproduction in early-gestation goats. These findings provide fundamental data for the NAC-mediated modulation of the reproductive performance of goats during early gestation.

Keywords

N acetylcysteine; Qianbei Ma goat; RNA-seq; uterus.

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