Transcriptome Analysis of Key Genes Involved in the Initiation of Spermatogonial Stem Cell Differentiation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to screen the genes and pathways that are involved in spermatogonia stem cell (SSC) differentiation regulation during the transition from A to A Methods: RNA sequencing was performed to screen differentially expressed genes at 1 d and 2 d after SSC differentiation culture. KEGG pathway enrichment and GO function analysis were performed to reveal the genes and pathways related to the initiation of early SSC differentiation.

Results: The GO analysis showed that , which regulates cell differentiation initiation, significantly increased after 1 day of SSC differentiation. The expressions of , , , , , , , and , which are related to promoting differentiation, were up-regulated after 2 days of SSC differentiation. The analysis of the KEGG pathway revealed that RNA transport is the most enriched pathway 1 day after SSC differentiation. Hspa2, which promotes the differentiation of male reproductive cells, and Cdkn2a, which participates in the cell cycle, were significantly up-regulated. The p53 pathway and MAPK pathway were the most enriched pathways 2 days after SSC differentiation. , , and , microRNAs that promote cell differentiation, were also significantly up-regulated.

Conclusions: RNA transport, the MAPK pathway and the p53 pathway may play vital roles in early SSC differentiation, and , , , , , , , , , , , , , and are involved in the initiation of SSC differentiation. The findings of this study provide a reference for further revelations of the regulatory mechanism of SSC differentiation.