Abstract: The development of mammalian testes and spermatogenesis form the foundation for male animals to acquire normal reproductive capacity and maintain overall health.The seminiferous tubules within testicular tissue serve as crucial sites for sperm production.Spermatogenesis encompasses the entire process,starting from the proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonia until the formation of mature spermatozoa.With the advancement of genomics and molecular biology technologies,a plethora of unidentified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) have been unearthed.lncRNA,characterized by their transcript length exceeding 200 nt,lack of protein coding potential,absence of open reading frames (ORF),and involvement in gene expression regulation,have emerged as a prominent research focus in recent years.Notably,lncRNA play an indispensable role in mammalian testicular spermatogenesis process with some functional mechanisms being preliminarily elucidated.However,the majority of these mechanisms remain enigmatic and necessitate further investigation.The article comprehensively reviews the research progress on the role of lncRNA in mammalian male reproduction,encompassing the classification and origin of lncRNAs,their mechanisms of action,involvement in testicular development,regulation of proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonia stem cells (SSCs),impact on spermatocyte meiosis,as well as their contribution to sperm cell formation and maturation.This review aims to provide a solid theoretical foundation and serve as a valuable reference for gaining a deeper understanding and conducting further investigations into the functions and underlying mechanisms of lncRNA in mammalian testicular development and spermatogenesis.

Key words: lncRNA; mammals; testes development; spermatogenesis