An Investigation of the Saccharides Profile and Metabolic Gene Expression in Muskrat Scented Glands in Different Secretion Seasons

The adult male muskrat has a pair of scented glands, which show clear seasonal changes in their developmental status between the secretion season and non-secretion season. During the secretion season, the scented glands are much larger than in the non-secretion season, with the metabolism of glandular cells increasing and a large amount of musk being produced. In this work, the blood, musk, and scented gland tissue were collected from three healthy adult male muskrats during secretion season (September). And the blood and scented gland tissue from another three healthy adult male muskrats during the non-secretion season (November) were also sampled. The saccharides from blood and musk were detected by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS), indicating the saccharides are concentrated in the scented glands during the secretion season. What is more, transcriptome analysis was employed to investigate the expression patterns of saccharides’ pathways, suggesting some saccharides’ metabolism-related genes undergo significant seasonal changes. Above all, scented gland saccharides’ metabolism displays seasonal differences, and the enhancement in saccharides’ metabolic activity during the secretion phase maintains glandular proliferation and secretion function.