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Gene Expression in Porcine Bulbourethral Glands.
Victoria Noto1, Barbara Jean Nitta-Oda1, Trish Berger1
1Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|April 13, 2024
Summary
Porcine bulbourethral gland growth is not primarily driven by androgens during juvenile stages. Estrogen may play an inhibitory role, influencing gland development when steroid levels are low.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Endocrinology
- Comparative anatomy
Background:
- The porcine bulbourethral glands are significant accessory sex glands, producing a gel-type secretion with an unclear role in reproductive success.
- These glands exhibit distinct growth patterns, with isometric growth in early neonates and allometric growth during the late juvenile (6-11 weeks) and peripuberal (16-20 weeks) periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of androgens and estrogens in the growth of porcine bulbourethral glands.
- To evaluate the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and steroid 5 alpha-reductase 2 (SRD5A2) during different growth phases.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to analyze gene expression of AR and SRD5A2 in bulbourethral gland tissue.
- Tissues were collected from control boars and boars treated with letrozole to suppress estrogen synthesis, across a developmental range from 2 to 40 weeks of age.
Main Results:
- Gene expression for AR and SRD5A2 was low during the late juvenile and prepuberal growth phases, indicating that androgen signaling does not primarily drive this initial growth.
- These findings suggest that the observed growth is not androgen-stimulated, challenging previous assumptions.
Conclusions:
- The initial allometric growth of porcine bulbourethral glands is likely not mediated by androgens.
- Results support a potential estrogen-mediated inhibitory role via G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), particularly when both estrogen and androgen levels are low in the late juvenile period.
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