麝鼠(Ondatra zibethicus L.)是季节性繁殖动物。成年雄性麝鼠在尿生殖孔上方肌肉与背皮之间有一对香腺,在繁殖期能分泌麝鼠香。与其他鼠类相比,麝鼠在繁殖期时前列腺—精囊腺组织极其发达。研究发现,经腹腔注射麝鼠香后,能够明显促进雄性小鼠的前列腺—精囊腺发育,表明两者之间可能存在一定的相关性。本研究利用RNA-seq技术对麝鼠繁殖期和非繁殖期的前列腺样品进行了转录组测序,对差异表达的基因进行GO分析和KEGG通路分析。结果显示,共筛选出1629个显著差异表达基因,涉及多种信号转导和能量代谢相关基因,其中OBP2、Bcl-2家族和肿瘤坏死因子受体超家族成员的差异表达提示麝鼠前列腺发育受多种机制调控,由香腺分泌的麝鼠香可能参与了前列腺的发育调节。

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus L.) is a seasonal breeding animal. Adult male muskrat has a pair of scent glands between the muscle and skin above the urogenital tract, which secrete muskrat musk during the breeding stage. Compared with other rodents, the muskrat prostates and seminal vesicles are very well developed throughout the breeding stage. Studies have shown that intraperitoneal injection of muskrat musk can readily promote the development of the prostates and seminal vesicles in the male mice, suggesting a tight correlation between musk secretion and the development of the prostates and seminal vesicles in the muskrat. In this study, RNA-seq technology was used to analyze the gene expression patterns were further investigated by gene ontology (GO) analysis and KEGG pathway analysis. The results showed that 1629 genes were significantly and differentially expressed and were involved in a variety of signal transductions and energy metabolism pathways. The differential expression patterns of the OBP2 gene, and members of the Bcl-2 family and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily suggest that the prostate development in muskrat is controlled by a variety of molecular mechanisms; and the musk secreted by the muskrat scent glands might participate in the regulation of such developmental processes.