N. A. Volkova, A. N. Vetokh, L. A. Volkova, E. K. Tomgorova, N. A. Zinovieva
Federal Scientific Center of Animal Husbandry – L. K. Ernst All-Russian Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, pos. Dubrovitsy, 60, Podol’skii r-n, Moskovskaya obl., 142132, Russian Federation
Abstract. An important criterion for the demand for transgenic technologies in poultry farming is the effectiveness of obtaining the transgenic poultry in the required quantity. Therefore, the study of the reproductive parameters of genetically modified individuals was of interest. The research aimed to study the characteristics of spermatogenesis in transgenic roosters. For experiments, transgenic and non-transgenic birds of the Russian white breed were selected. Transgenic roosters were bred using a lentiviral vector by introducing it into embryos in vivo (group I, n = 6) and transforming spermatogenic testicular cells in vivo genetically (group II, n = 6). We conducted histological studies of the testicles of transgenic and non-transgenic roosters at the age of 4 and 6 months. The selected testicle samples were fixed in the Buen’s solution, embedded in paraffin, then 5 microns thick histological sections were prepared. The histological structure of the seminiferous tubules and the composition of spermatogenic cells in them were evaluated. We did not detect any significant pathological disorders in the structure of the seminiferous tubules in any group. At the same time, a decrease in the number of spermatogenic cells in the seminiferous tubules and a change in the ratio of their types in comparison with the control were noted in the transgenic roosters. Such changes depended on the route of administration of the lentiviral vector. In group I, the difference with control in the studied parameters did not exceed 4%, while significant differences were detected in some cases in group II. At the age of 4 months, the roosters in group II showed a 20% decrease in the number of spermatogenic cells in one seminiferous tubule compared to the control. This happened as a result of a decrease in the number of second-order spermatocytes and spermatids by 25% and 27%, respectively. However, at the age of 6 months, in both experimental groups, the differences with the control levelled up to 2% that indicated the restoration of spermatogenesis in transgenic roosters after a certain period after genetic engineering manipulations.
Keywords: transgenesis; roosters; spermatogenesis; spermatogenic cells.
Author Details: N. A. Volkova, D. Sc. (Biol.), head of laboratory (e-mail: Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра.); A. N. Vetokh, research fellow; L. A. Volkova, Cand. Sc. (Biol.), senior research fellow; E. K. Tomgorova, Cand. Sc. (Biol.), senior research fellow; N. A. Zinovieva, D. Sc. (Biol.), member of the RAS, director.
For citation: Volkova N. A., Vetokh A. N., Volkova L. A., Tomgorova E. K., Zinovieva N. A. Studying Spermatogenesis of Transgenic Roosters. Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2019. Vol. 33. No. 9. Pp. 44–47 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.24411/0235-2451-2019-10909.