May 2026 talk of the monthly meeting of the #animal-genomics special interest group.

We are happy to introduce Wansheng Liu (Department of Animal Science, Center for Reproductive Biology and Health, The Pennsylvania State University, USA). Dr. Liu is a Professor in the Department of Animal Science and the Center for Reproductive Biology and Health in the College of Agricultural Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University. He grew up in Hancheng, China, and received his B.S. in Animal Science (1982), and his M.S. (1987) and Ph.D. (1993) in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Northwest Agricultural University (now Northwest A&F University). From 1995 to 2003, he completed postdoctoral training at Uppsala University and the University of Minnesota, and held visiting appointments at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Karolinska Institute, and the University of California, San Francisco. In 2004, he joined the Department of Animal Biotechnology at the University of Nevada, Reno, as an Associate Professor, and moved to Penn State in 2007. Dr. Liu’s research program focuses on animal genomics, with particular emphasis on the structural and functional genomics of mammalian sex chromosomes and male fertility. His recent work centers on PRAME family function in spermatogenesis, sperm–egg interaction, and early embryogenesis using both mouse and cattle models. He has published approximately 100 peer-reviewed articles. His research is supported by the USDA, NIH, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and cattle industry partners. Dr. Liu is a co-PI of the U.S. cattle FAANG project and has contributed to several international consortia, including the pig, cattle, and sheep genome projects, the pig T2T project, and the FarmGTEx initiative. He currently leads a USDA/NIFA-funded bovine testis GTEx project. During his visit, he is also a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain.

Roles of PRAME Genes during Gametogenesis, Fertilization, and Embryogenesis

The PRAME gene family constitutes a distinct class of cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) characterized by a dual biological identity: they function both as immune-associated tumor markers and as regulators of gametogenesis and reproduction. PRAME genes have undergone lineage-specific amplification in eutherian mammals, with transposition to the X chromosome in rodents and to the Y chromosome in bovids. While PRAME has been extensively studied in cancer biology, its role in reproduction remains largely unexplored. Our work focuses on the functions of the PRAME family in germ cell formation, sperm–egg binding and fertilization, and early embryo development, using mouse and cattle as model systems. In this seminar, I will present our recent findings on bovine Y-linked PRAME (PRAMEY) in spermatogenesis and sperm function, as well as its roles in sperm–egg interaction and early embryogenesis. I will also discuss Pramex1 and Pramel1 single- and double-knockout mouse models, highlighting their functional interplay during gametogenesis.