Sperm Transcriptome Analysis Accurately Reveals Male Fertility Potential in Livestock

Simple Summary Infertility is a problem in the livestock industry. The impact of these cases can be a long calving interval period, increasing the operational costs. Male livestock should have a breeding soundness exam before each breeding season. Even if a male passed last year, there is no guarantee he will make it this year. Therefore, the selection should be made periodically. However, male fertility potential can be predicted based on genetic characteristics, one of which is through sperm transcriptome assessment. Detection of male fertility through transcriptomic analysis provides a more sensitive and sophisticated technology assessment. Nowadays, selection of superior male candidates in livestock as a source of frozen semen based on sperm quality at the cellular level is not considered accurate enough for predicting the potential of male fertility. Sperm transcriptome analysis approaches, such as messenger RNA levels, have been shown to correlate with fertility rates. Using this technology in livestock growth has become the principal method, which can be widely applied to predict male fertility potential in the livestock industry through the analysis of the sperm transcriptome. It provides the gene expression to validate the function of sperm in spermatogenesis, fertilization, and embryo development, as the parameters of male fertility. This review proposes a transcriptomic analysis approach as a high-throughput method to predict the fertility potential of livestock more accurately in the future.

Automated summary

Infertility is a problem in the livestock industry, leading to long calving interval periods and increased operational costs. Traditional methods for assessing sperm quality are not accurate enough for predicting male fertility potential, but transcriptomic analysis provides a more accurate prediction method.