Multispecies comparative analysis reveals transcriptional specificity during Mongolian horse testicular development

Mongolian horses have been bred and used for labor and transport for centuries. Nevertheless, traits of testicular development in Mongolian horses have rarely been studied; particularly, studies regarding the transcriptional regulation characteristics of testicular development are lacking. In this paper, transcription specificity during testicular development in Mongolian horses is highlighted via a multispecies comparative analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Interestingly, the results showed that most genes were up-regulated in the testes after sexual maturity, which is a phenomenon conserved across species. Moreover, we observed nine key genes involved in regulating Mongolian horse testicular development. Notably, unique transcription signatures of testicular development in Mongolian horses are emphasized, which provides a novel insight into the mechanistic study of their testicular development.