Pig StAR: mRNA expression and alternative splicing in testis and Leydig cells, and association analyses with testicular morphology traits

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), primarily expressed in Leydig cells (LCs) in the mammalian testes, is essential for testosterone biosynthesis and male fertility. However, no previous reports have explored the expression profiles, alternative splicing and genetic variations of StAR gene in pig. The aim of current study was to explore the expression profiles in different tissues and different types of testicular cells (LCs; spermatogonial stem cells, SSCs; Sertoli cells, SCs), to identify different splice variants and their expression levels, as well as to detect the indel polymorphism in pig StAR gene.

Source: Theriogenology - May 30, 2018 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Yanghai Zhang, Yang Cui, Xuelian Zhang, Yimin Wang, Jiayang Gao, Ting Yu, Xiaoyan Lv, Chuanying Pan Source Type: research