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Sperm Functional Genome Associated With Bull Fertility
Memmet Özbek1, Mustafa Hitit2, Abdullah Kaya3
1Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
|July 12, 2021
Summary
Improving bull fertility is crucial for sustainable cattle production. This review explores sperm phenomes and functional genomics to identify new fertility markers beyond scrotal circumference, aiding in accurate bull fertility assessment.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Animal Science
- Genomics
Background:
- Bull fertility significantly impacts cattle production economics, with current assessment methods being labor-intensive and imprecise.
- Understanding the physiological basis of male subfertility requires integrating multi-omics data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review sperm phenomes linked to the functional genome and epigenome concerning bull fertility.
- To synthesize knowledge for improved applied andrology and accurate fertility prediction.
Main Methods:
- Integration of findings from genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics.
- Analysis of molecular and cellular dynamics of fertility-associated molecules and conventional sperm parameters.
Main Results:
- Sperm phenomes derived from functional genomics and epigenomics offer insights into bull fertility.
- Scrotal circumference is a heritable trait and a known fertility marker, but additional markers are needed.
Conclusions:
- Combining multi-omics data and sperm phenotyping with scrotal circumference can enhance bull fertility prediction.
- Further research on sperm RNA, proteins, and metabolites is necessary to discover novel fertility markers for sustainable cattle breeding.
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