Effects of neonatal methoxychlor exposure on the ovarian transcriptome in piglets

• Published in: Animal reproduction science 2022-03, Vol.238, p.106956-106956, Article 106956
• Main Authors: Knapczyk-Stwora, Katarzyna, Nynca, Anna, Swigonska, Sylwia, Paukszto, Lukasz, Jastrzebski, Jan P., Witek, Patrycja, Koziorowski, Marek, Slomczynska, Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Female; Insecticides - toxicity; LncRNA; Methoxychlor; Methoxychlor - metabolism; Methoxychlor - toxicity; MRNA; Ovarian Follicle; Ovary; Pig; Swine - genetics; Transcriptome
• ISSN: 0378-4320; 1873-2232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.106956

Methoxychlor (MXC) is a man-made organochlorine insecticide capable of disrupting endocrine functions due to its mixed steroidal properties (estrogenic, anti-estrogenic and/or anti-androgenic). Retarded follicle development was recently reported in neonatal pigs treated with MXC. The goal of the current study was to better understand the mechanism of MXC action in the ovary of newborn piglets. By employing RNA-Seq we studied the expression of protein coding (mRNA) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcripts in the ovary of the MXC-treated piglets. Piglets were injected (sc) daily with MXC (100 mg/kg body weight) or corn oil (controls) between postnatal Days 1 and 10 (n = 3 piglets/group). The ovaries excised from 11-day-old piglets were processed for total RNA isolation and subsequent RNA sequencing. Four hundred sixty differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 143 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were identified in the ovaries of MXC-treated piglets (P-adjusted < 0.05; abs(log2FC) > 1). Functional enrichment analysis showed that MXC altered the expression of genes associated with intracellular and membrane transport, intra-ovarian signaling as well as cell-cell junction and communication. Moreover, positive and negative correlations determined between the identified DEGs and DELs suggest that some lncRNAs may mediate the MXC action in the ovary. The results support the hypothesis that MXC-induced changes in the expression of genes involved in neonatal ovarian folliculogenesis increase the risk of fertility problems in adults. •MXC effects on the ovarian transcriptome were studied in piglets.•MXC altered the expression of 460 genes and 143 lncRNAs in the neonatal ovary.•The identified DEGs related to cell junctions, signaling and cellular transport.•Positive and negative correlations were found between 344 DEGs and 130 DELs.