Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (7): 3071-3079.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.07.003

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research Advances in the Investigation of the Protective Role of Lysine Acetylation in Chicken Semen Cryopreservation and Its Mechanism

ZONG Yunhe1(), YANG Yuze2(), SUN Yanyan1, CHEN Jilan1, LI Yunlei1,*()   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
    2. Beijing General Station of Animal Husbandry Service, Beijing 100107, China
  • Received:2024-12-09 Online:2025-07-23 Published:2025-07-25
  • Contact: LI Yunlei E-mail:zongyunhe2022@163.com;yyz84929056@126.com;liyunlei@caas.cn

Abstract:

China has a rich diversity of chicken breeds with 140 native breeds, which harbor numerous excellent genetic traits. The conservation, breeding, and utilization of chicken genetic resources are of significant importance for promoting the independent development of national chicken breeding industry. The ultra-low temperature cryopreservation of semen is one of the most practical techniques for the long-term preservation and efficient utilization of livestock and poultry genetic resources. The semen cryopreservation technology for livestock, particularly for cattle, is relatively well-developed, but the technology was limited in chicken due to the long tails and small heads of spermatozoa, which result in poor freeze resistance. The poor fertility and sustained fertilization ability of chicken frozen sperm limited the application of semen cryopreservation technique in conservation and breeding. Post-translational modification of proteins was an important regulatory pathway through which cells respond to internal and external environmental stimuli. In mature sperm, both transcription and translation activities were largely halted, lysine acetylation modification of proteins might play crucial roles during the cryopreservation of chicken semen. These modifications could be essential for maintaining sperm structural integrity, mitochondrial function stability, and DNA integrity. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. This review aimed to provide a reference for investigating the role of lysine acetylation in the cryopreservation of chicken semen and establishing novel cryopreservation methods, and to offer theoretical insights and technical support for the efficient conservation of poultry genetic resources.

Key words: chicken, semen cryopreservation, sperm, lysine acetylation modification, germplasm resource

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