Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic investigation reveals the spatiotemporal specificity of the β-defensin gene family during mouse spermatogenesis

Abstract

Abstract Spermatozoa produced in the testes acquire motility and maturation processes in the epididymis, but little is known about the mechanism of sperm development in the testicular and epididymal environment. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA and spatial transcriptome sequencing to study the mechanism of mouse spermatogenesis. We investigated the cell compositions of testicular and epididymal tissues and examined their gene expression characteristics. In the epididymis, we found that epididymal epithelial cells display a specific gene expression profile in different regions of the epididymis. Therefore, we divided the entire epididymis into 12 segments according to spot cluster and structural characteristics and investigated their gene expression profiles. Moreover, we investigated the detailed expression characteristics of β-defensin family genes in the mouse epididymis. In addition, we also analyzed the gene expression characteristics and spatial information of stromal cells associated with spermatogenesis, including Sertoli cells and Leydig cells in the testis and fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells in the epididymis. Our study provides a single-cell and spatial landscape to analyze the gene expression characteristics of the testicular and epididymal environments in which spermatogenesis and maturation occur and has important implications for the study of spermatogenesis and maturation.