Single-cell analysis of testicular bacterial microbiome changes during aging and effect on reproductive capacity in mice.

ABSTRACT: The testis supports spermatogenesis through a tightly regulated microenvironment, and the bacterial microbiome (BM) may influence host cells through immune and metabolic pathways, thereby impacting reproductive capacity. Here, we applied invasion-adhesion-directed expression sequencing (INVADE-seq), a single-cell RNA sequencing approach that simultaneously captures host and bacterial transcripts, to examine how bacterial signals shape testicular cell states. We detected a sparse but widespread bacterial presence across multiple cell types, with somatic and early germ cells outside the blood-testis barrier (BTB) showing relatively higher bacterial abundance. Bacterial load increased with age, coinciding with transcriptional signatures of reduced BTB function. At the cellular level, bacteria

SUBMITTER: Zhou J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12719757 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature