Vet World Vol.17 March Article - 16
Research Article
Veterinary World, 17(3): 645-657
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.645-657
Comparison of Siglec-1 protein networks and expression patterns in sperm and male reproductive tracts of mice, rats, and humans
1 Department of Anatomy and Histology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Iraq.
2 School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin-04, Ireland.
Background and Aim: Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 1 (Siglec-1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in the sialic acid (Sia)-dependent regulation of the immune system. Siglec-1 expression has recently been identified in the male reproductive tract (MRT) of several species, including humans, cattle, horses, and sheep, and may play a role in modulating fertility in a Sia-dependent manner.
Materials and Methods: In this study, protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis of Siglec-1 was conducted to identify associated network protein conservation, and the expression of Siglec-1 in the MRT of mice and rats, including their accessory sex glands and spermatozoa was determined by immunostaining.
Results: Network analysis of proteins with Siglec-1 in mice and rats demonstrated significant similarity to human Siglec-1 networks, suggesting a similar conservation of network proteins between these species and, hence, a potential conservation role in immune modulation and function. Specific immunostaining patterns of mouse and rat testes, epididymis, ductus deferens, accessory sex gland tissues, and sperm were detected using human Siglec-1. These results confirmed that the human Siglec-1 antibody could cross-react with mouse and rat Siglec-1, suggesting that the specific expression patterns of Siglec-1 in the MRT and sperm of both mice and rats are similar to those observed in other species.
Conclusion: The conservation of Siglec-1 expression patterns in sperm and within the MRT and the similarity of protein networks for Siglec-1 across species suggest that Siglec-1 may function in a similar manner across species. These results also suggest that rodents may serve as a valuable model system for exploring the function of Siglecs in the reproductive system across species and their potential role in modulating fertility in a Sia-dependent manner.
Keywords: female reproductive tract, male reproductive tract, protein–protein interaction, sialic acid, sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-1.
How to cite this article: Almhanna H, Kumar AHS, Kilroy D, Duggan G, Irwin JA, Hogg B, and Reid C (2024) Comparison of Siglec-1 protein networks and expression patterns in sperm and male reproductive tracts of mice, rats, and humans, Veterinary World, 17(3):645-657.
Received: 18-12-2023 Accepted: 23-02-2024 Published online: 21-03-2024
Corresponding author: E-mail:
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.645-657
Copyright: Almhanna, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
