Identification of potential candidate genes and regulatory pathways related to reproductive capacity in hypothalamus and pituitarium of male ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) by differential transcriptome analysis

Abstract The improvement of reproductive capacity of poultry is important for the poultry industry. The existing studies on reproductive capacity mainly focus on the testis tissue, but few reports on regulationary effect of brain neuroendocrime on reproductive capacity have been available. The hypothalamus-pituitarium-gonad (HPG) axis is an important pathway regulating spermatogenesis and sexual behavior. This study analyzed the gene expression in hypothalamus and pituitary tissues of male ducks in high semen quality group (DH), low semen quality group (DL), and non-response group (DN) by RNA-sequencing. A total of 1980 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and significantly less DEGs were found in pituitary gland than in hypothalamus. GO and KEGG analyses showed that these DEGs were mainly enriched in nerve-related and synapse-related biological processes, mitochondrial inner membrane formation pathway, and ribosome structure pathway. Notably, the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway significantly enriched in all 3 comparisons (DH vs. DL, DH vs. DN, and DL vs. DN) was related to different reproductive performance such as semen quality and sexual response. Furthermore, 6 genes including POMC, CPLX2, HAPLN2, EGR4, TOX3, and MSH4 were identified as candidate genes regulating reproductive capacity. Our findings provide new insights into the regulation mechanisms underlying the reproductive performance of male poultry, and offer valuable reference for duck breeding programs aimed at promoting reproductive capacity.