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17 August 2021 Prolonging photoperiod promotes testosterone synthesis of Leydig cells by directly targeting local melatonin system in rooster testes
Gaoqing Xu, Zhiyu Yuan, Jiani Hou, Jing Zhao, Hongyu Liu, Wenfa Lu, Jun Wang
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Abstract

The study investigated the effects of prolonging photoperiod on the synthesis of testosterone and melatonin in roosters, and the effect of melatonin on testosterone synthesis in rooster Leydig cells as well as its molecular mechanisms. We randomly divided one hundred and twenty 20-week-old roosters into three groups and provided 6, 12.5 and 16 h light, respectively. The results showed that prolonging photoperiod promoted testosterone synthesis, decreased melatonin production, and inhibited the expression of melatonin membrane receptors MEL1A, MEL1B, MEL1C, and aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) in rooster testes. Subsequently, rooster Leydig cells were isolated and treated with 0, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL melatonin for 36 h. The results suggested that melatonin inhibited testosterone synthesis in rooster Leydig cells, and silencing MEL1A and MEL1B relieved the inhibition of melatonin on testosterone synthesis. Additionally, melatonin reduced the intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) level and the phosphorylation level of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), and CREB overexpression alleviated the inhibition of melatonin on testosterone synthesis. Furthermore, pretreatment with cAMP activator forskolin or protein kinase A (PKA) activator 8-bromo-cAMP blocked the inhibition of melatonin on CREB phosphorylation and testosterone synthesis. These results indicated that prolonging photoperiod promoted testosterone synthesis associated with the decrease in melatonin production and membrane receptors and biosynthetic enzyme of melatonin in rooster testes, and melatonin inhibited testosterone synthesis of rooster Leydig cells by inhibiting the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway via MEL1A and MEL1B. This may be evidence that prolonging photoperiod could promote testosterone synthesis through the inhibition of the local melatonin pathway in rooster testes.

Summary sentence

Prolonging photoperiod promotes testosterone synthesis through the inhibition of the local melatonin pathway in rooster testes.

Graphical Abstract

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© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for the Study of Reproduction. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
Gaoqing Xu, Zhiyu Yuan, Jiani Hou, Jing Zhao, Hongyu Liu, Wenfa Lu, and Jun Wang "Prolonging photoperiod promotes testosterone synthesis of Leydig cells by directly targeting local melatonin system in rooster testes," Biology of Reproduction 105(5), 1317-1329, (17 August 2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioab155
Received: 7 May 2021; Accepted: 11 August 2021; Published: 17 August 2021
KEYWORDS
cAMP/PKA/CREB
Melatonin
photoperiod
roosters
testes
testosterone
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