Abstract
The cry1 gene plays an important role in mammalian ontogeny and widely exists in various tissues. Studies showed that cry1 gene was expressed in testis and participated in the regulation of mammalian reproductive activities. To identify the genes that are positively correlated with cry1 gene expression in the testis of rams during the first estrus, and to explore the relationship between cry1 gene and the number of spermatogenic cells. qRT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA transcription levels of cry1, bricd5, tnfrsf21, cdk1 and tcfl5 in testicular tissues of Hu sheep at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days postpartum (dpp) . In testicular tissue, the expression of cry1 mRNA increased with age in testis showed an upward trend, and increased significantly in the estrous phase. The cry1 mRNA at 180dpp was significantly higher than that of 90-day-old testis (p < 0.05). The expression of cell proliferation related genes bricd5, tnfrsf21, cdk1, cry1 upstream specific transcription factor tcfl5 was identified, and the mRNA expression at 180 dpp was significantly higher than that of 3-month-old testis (p < 0.05) The expression level of cry1 mRNA was similar to that of cry1. cry1 gene is highly expressed in the testis of sheep during puberty, and has a significant correlation with the proliferation of spermatogenic cells.