Expression of enzymes involved in polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis in the stallion testis and epididymis

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to characterise key enzymes involved in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) synthesis in the testis and epididymis collected from 2-year-old healthy warmblood stallions (n=10). The mRNA expression of fatty acid synthase, the Δ9-, Δ6-, Δ5- and Δ4-desaturases and elongases 6, 5 and 2 (encoded by the fatty acid synthase (FASN), the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), the fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1), the delta 4-desaturase, sphingolipid 1 (DEGS1), ELOVL fatty acid elongase 6(ELOVL6), ELOVL fatty acid elongase 5 (ELOVL5), ELOVL fatty acid elongase 2 (ELOVL2) genes respectively) was determined in equine testis and epididymis. All enzymes were present in testicular tissue and along the epididymis, but mRNA expression differed among localisations. The protein localisation of FADS1, FADS2 and ELOVL5 was determined by immunohistochemistry. In the testes, FADS1 was expressed in the germinal cells and ELOVL5 was expressed in germinal and Leydig cells; FADS2 was not detected. In the epididymis, FADS1 and FADS2 were expressed in the principal and basal cells, whereas ELOVL5 was found only in the principal cells of the caput. All three enzymes were present in epididymal vesicles secreted by an apocrine mechanism. These results suggest active PUFA metabolism during spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm maturation in stallions.