Effect of Zfy gene RNA interference plasmid through intra-testicular injection on semen quality of Hu sheep
To investigate the effect of Zfy gene RNA interference vectors on the sperm quality of Hu sheep,a total of 6 one-year-old Hu sheep rams were chosen and randomly divided into experimental and control groups,each containing 3 rams.The experimental group treated with intra-testicular injection of the Zfy gene interference plasmid CV250-1,while the control group received no injection.Both fresh semen and frozen semen were prepared from both groups of rams for the evaluation of the quality of fresh and frozen sperm.The results showed that the fresh semen of both groups were cloudy-like,milky white,and without a significant fishy odor;Compared with the control group,the ejaculate volume,pH value,and sperm density of the fresh semen in the experimental group showed no significant changes(P>0.05).However,the sperm motility of the frozen sperm was extremely decreased(P<0.01),and the rate of sperm abnormality,the rate of sperm plasma membrane damage and the rate of acrosome damage were extremely increased(P<0.01).Additionally,the bacterial content also was found significantly higher(P<0.05).These findings indicated that the recombinant Zfy gene interference plasmid CV250-1 through the intra-testicular injection would silence the expression of Zfy gene in Hu sheep and result in a reduction in the production of normal Y sperm along with compromised motility and fertilization capacity of sperms.