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Intra- and Interspecies RNA-Seq Based Variants in the Lactation Process of Ruminants. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12243592. [PMID: 36552512 PMCID: PMC9774614 DOI: 10.3390/ani12243592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The RNA-Seq data provides new opportunities for the detection of transcriptome variants' single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in various species and tissues. Herein, milk samples from two sheep breeds and two cow breeds were utilized to characterize the genetic variation in the coding regions in three stages (before-peak (BP), peak (P), and after-peak (AP)) of the lactation process. In sheep breeds Assaf and Churra, 100,462 and 97,768, 65,996 and 62,161, and 78,656 and 39,245 variants were observed for BP, P, and AP lactation stages, respectively. The number of specific variants was 59,798 and 76,419, 11,483 and 49,210, and 104,033 and 320,817 in cow breeds Jersy and Kashmiri, respectively, for BP, P, and AP stages. Via the transcriptome analysis of variation in regions containing QTL for fat, protein percentages, and milk yield, we detected a number of pathways and genes harboring mutations that could influence milk production attributes. Many SNPs detected here can be regarded as appropriate markers for custom SNP arrays or genotyping platforms to conduct association analyses among commercial populations. The results of this study offer new insights into milk production genetic mechanisms in cow and sheep breeds, which can contribute to designing suitable breeding systems for optimal milk production.
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Marina H, Pelayo R, Gutiérrez-Gil B, Suárez-Vega A, Esteban-Blanco C, Reverter A, Arranz JJ. Low-density SNP panel for efficient imputation and genomic selection of milk production and technological traits in dairy sheep. J Dairy Sci 2022; 105:8199-8217. [PMID: 36028350 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-21601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to ascertain how different strategies for leveraging genomic information enhance the accuracy of estimated breeding values for milk and cheese-making traits and to evaluate the implementation of a low-density (LowD) SNP chip designed explicitly for that aim. Thus, milk samples from a total of 2,020 dairy ewes from 2 breeds (1,039 Spanish Assaf and 981 Churra) were collected and analyzed to determine 3 milk production and composition traits and 2 traits related to milk coagulation properties and cheese yield. The 2 studied populations were genotyped with a customized 50K Affymetrix SNP chip (Affymetrix Inc.) containing 55,627 SNP markers. The prediction accuracies were obtained using different multitrait methodologies, such as the BLUP model based on pedigree information, the genomic BLUP (GBLUP), and the BLUP at the SNP level (SNP-BLUP), which are based on genotypic data, and the single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP), which combines both sources of information. All of these methods were analyzed by cross-validation, comparing predictions of the whole population with the test population sets. Additionally, we describe the design of a LowD SNP chip (3K) and its prediction accuracies through the different methods mentioned previously. Furthermore, the results obtained using the LowD SNP chip were compared with those based on the 50K SNP chip data sets. Finally, we conclude that implementing genomic selection through the ssGBLUP model in the current breeding programs would increase the accuracy of the estimated breeding values compared with the BLUP methodology in the Assaf (from 0.19 to 0.39) and Churra (from 0.27 to 0.44) dairy sheep populations. The LowD SNP chip is cost-effective and has proven to be an accurate tool for estimating genomic breeding values for milk and cheese-making traits, microsatellite imputation, and parentage verification. The results presented here suggest that the routine use of this LowD SNP chip could potentially increase the genetic gains of the breeding selection programs of the 2 Spanish dairy sheep breeds considered here.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Marina
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, León 24071, Spain
| | - R Pelayo
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, León 24071, Spain
| | - B Gutiérrez-Gil
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, León 24071, Spain
| | - A Suárez-Vega
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, León 24071, Spain
| | - C Esteban-Blanco
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, León 24071, Spain
| | - A Reverter
- CSIRO Agriculture & Food, 306 Carmody Rd., St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - J J Arranz
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, León 24071, Spain.
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Schneider M, Casale F, Stich B. Accurate recombination estimation from pooled genotyping and sequencing: a case study on barley. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:468. [PMID: 35752769 PMCID: PMC9233355 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08701-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual reproduction involves meiotic recombination and the creation of crossing over between homologous chromosomes, which leads to new allele combinations. We present a new approach that uses the allele frequency differences and the physical distance of neighboring polymorphisms to estimate the recombination rate from pool genotyping or sequencing. This allows a considerable cost reduction compared to conventional mapping based on genotyping or sequencing data of single individuals. We evaluated the approach based on computer simulations at various genotyping depths and population sizes as well as applied it to experimental data of 45 barley populations, comprising 4182 RIL. High correlations between the recombination rates from this new pool genetic mapping approach and conventional mapping in simulated and experimental barley populations were observed. The proposed method therefore provides a reliable genetic map position and recombination rate estimation in defined genomic windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schneider
- Institute of Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Heinrich Heine University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Federico Casale
- Institute of Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Heinrich Heine University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stich
- Institute of Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Heinrich Heine University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. .,Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, 50829, Köln, Germany. .,Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, From Complex Traits Towards Synthetic Modules, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Maphosa MN, Steenkamp ET, Kanzi AM, van Wyk S, De Vos L, Santana QC, Duong TA, Wingfield BD. Intra-Species Genomic Variation in the Pine Pathogen Fusarium circinatum. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8070657. [PMID: 35887414 PMCID: PMC9316270 DOI: 10.3390/jof8070657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusarium circinatum is an important global pathogen of pine trees. Genome plasticity has been observed in different isolates of the fungus, but no genome comparisons are available. To address this gap, we sequenced and assembled to chromosome level five isolates of F. circinatum. These genomes were analysed together with previously published genomes of F. circinatum isolates, FSP34 and KS17. Multi-sample variant calling identified a total of 461,683 micro variants (SNPs and small indels) and a total of 1828 macro structural variants of which 1717 were copy number variants and 111 were inversions. The variant density was higher on the sub-telomeric regions of chromosomes. Variant annotation revealed that genes involved in transcription, transport, metabolism and transmembrane proteins were overrepresented in gene sets that were affected by high impact variants. A core genome representing genomic elements that were conserved in all the isolates and a non-redundant pangenome representing all genomic elements is presented. Whole genome alignments showed that an average of 93% of the genomic elements were present in all isolates. The results of this study reveal that some genomic elements are not conserved within the isolates and some variants are high impact. The described genome-scale variations will help to inform novel disease management strategies against the pathogen.
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Michailidou S, Gelasakis A, Banos G, Arsenos G, Argiriou A. Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Milk Somatic Cells During Lactation Between Two Intensively Reared Dairy Sheep Breeds. Front Genet 2021; 12:700489. [PMID: 34349787 PMCID: PMC8326974 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.700489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In dairy sheep industry, milk production dictates the value of a ewe. Milk production is directly related to the morphology and physiology of the mammary gland; both being designated targets of breeding strategies. Although within a flock breeding parameters are mutual, large differences in milk production among individual ewes are usually observed. In this work, we tested two of the most productive dairy sheep breeds reared intensively in Greece, one local the Chios breed and one foreign the Lacaune breed. We used transcriptome sequencing to reveal molecular mechanisms that render the mammary gland highly productive or not. While highly expressed genes (caseins and major whey protein genes) were common among breeds, differences were observed in differentially expressed genes. ENSOARG00000008077, as a member of ribosomal protein 14 family, together with LPCAT2, CCR3, GPSM2, ZNF131, and ASIP were among the genes significantly differentiating mammary gland's productivity in high yielding ewes. Gene ontology terms were mainly linked to the inherent transcriptional activity of the mammary gland (GO:0005524, GO:0030552, GO:0016740, GO:0004842), lipid transfer activity (GO:0005319) and innate immunity (GO:0002376, GO:0075528, GO:0002520). In addition, clusters of genes affecting zinc and iron trafficking into mitochondria were highlighted for high yielding ewes (GO:0071294, GO:0010043). Our analyses provide insights into the molecular pathways involved in lactation between ewes of different performances. Results revealed management issues that should be addressed by breeders in order to move toward increased milk yields through selection of the desired phenotypes. Our results will also contribute toward the selection of the most resilient and productive ewes, thus, will strengthen the existing breeding systems against a spectrum of environmental threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Michailidou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Center for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanasios Gelasakis
- Laboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Georgios Banos
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Scotland’s Rural College, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - George Arsenos
- Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Anagnostis Argiriou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Center for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean, Lemnos, Greece
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Chebii VJ, Mpolya EA, Muchadeyi FC, Domelevo Entfellner JB. Genomics of Adaptations in Ungulates. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:1617. [PMID: 34072591 PMCID: PMC8230064 DOI: 10.3390/ani11061617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ungulates are a group of hoofed animals that have long interacted with humans as essential sources of food, labor, clothing, and transportation. These consist of domesticated, feral, and wild species raised in a wide range of habitats and biomes. Given the diverse and extreme environments inhabited by ungulates, unique adaptive traits are fundamental for fitness. The documentation of genes that underlie their genomic signatures of selection is crucial in this regard. The increasing availability of advanced sequencing technologies has seen the rapid growth of ungulate genomic resources, which offers an exceptional opportunity to understand their adaptive evolution. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on evolutionary genetic signatures underlying the adaptations of ungulates to different habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivien J. Chebii
- School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela Africa Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania;
- Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa, International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi 00100, Kenya;
| | - Emmanuel A. Mpolya
- School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela Africa Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania;
| | - Farai C. Muchadeyi
- Agricultural Research Council Biotechnology Platform (ARC-BTP), Private Bag X5, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa;
| | - Jean-Baka Domelevo Entfellner
- Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa, International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi 00100, Kenya;
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Zhang W, Xu M, Wang J, Wang S, Wang X, Yang J, Gao L, Gan S. Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Key Genes and Pathways Activated in Response to Fat Deposition in Two Sheep Breeds With Distinct Tail Phenotype. Front Genet 2021; 12:639030. [PMID: 33897762 PMCID: PMC8060577 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.639030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Fat tail in sheep presents a valuable energy reserve that has historically facilitated adaptation to harsh environments. However, in modern intensive and semi-intensive sheep industry systems, breeds with leaner tails are more desirable. In the present study, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was applied to determine the transcriptome profiles of tail fat tissues in two Chinese sheep breeds, fat-rumped Altay sheep and thin-tailed Xinjiang fine wool (XFW) sheep, with extreme fat tail phenotype difference. Then the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their sequence variations were further analyzed. In total, 21,527 genes were detected, among which 3,965 displayed significant expression variations in tail fat tissues of the two sheep breeds (P < 0.05), including 707 upregulated and 3,258 downregulated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis disclosed that 198 DEGs were related to fat metabolism. In Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, the majority of DEGs were significantly enriched in "adipocytokine signaling," "PPAR signaling," and "metabolic pathways" (P < 0.05); moreover, some genes were involved in multiple pathways. Among the 198 DEGs, 22 genes were markedly up- or downregulated in tail fat tissue of Altay sheep, indicating that these genes might be closely related to the fat tail trait of this breed. A total of 41,724 and 42,193 SNPs were detected in the transcriptomic data of tail fat tissues obtained from Altay and XFW sheep, respectively. The distribution of seven SNPs in the coding regions of the 22 candidate genes was further investigated in populations of three sheep breeds with distinct tail phenotypes. In particular, the g.18167532T/C (Oar_v3.1) mutation of the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) gene and g.57036072G/T (Oar_v3.1) mutation of the solute carrier family 27 member 2 (SLC27A2) gene showed significantly different distributions and were closely associated with tail phenotype (P < 0.05). The present study provides transcriptomic evidence explaining the differences in fat- and thin-tailed sheep breeds and reveals numerous DEGs and SNPs associated with tail phenotype. Our data provide a valuable theoretical basis for selection of lean-tailed sheep breeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
- Xinjiang Agricultural Vocational Technical College, Changji, China
| | - Mengsi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Juanjuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Shiyin Wang
- Xinjiang Agricultural Vocational Technical College, Changji, China
| | - Xinhua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Jingquan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Lei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
| | - Shangquan Gan
- State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi, China
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Ghoreishifar SM, Rochus CM, Moghaddaszadeh-Ahrabi S, Davoudi P, Salek Ardestani S, Zinovieva NA, Deniskova TE, Johansson AM. Shared Ancestry and Signatures of Recent Selection in Gotland Sheep. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12030433. [PMID: 33802939 PMCID: PMC8002741 DOI: 10.3390/genes12030433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gotland sheep, a breed native to Gotland, Sweden (an island in the Baltic Sea), split from the Gute sheep breed approximately 100 years ago, and since, has probably been crossed with other breeds. This breed has recently gained popularity, due to its pelt quality. This study estimates the shared ancestors and identifies recent selection signatures in Gotland sheep using 600 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data. Admixture analysis shows that the Gotland sheep is a distinct breed, but also has shared ancestral genomic components with Gute (~50%), Karakul (~30%), Romanov (~20%), and Fjällnäs (~10%) sheep breeds. Two complementary methods were applied to detect selection signatures: A Bayesian population differentiation FST and an integrated haplotype homozygosity score (iHS). Our results find that seven significant SNPs (q-value < 0.05) using the FST analysis and 55 significant SNPs (p-value < 0.0001) using the iHS analysis. Of the candidate genes that contain significant markers, or are in proximity to them, we identify several belongings to the keratin genes, RXFP2, ADCY1, ENOX1, USF2, COX7A1, ARHGAP28, CRYBB2, CAPNS1, FMO3, and GREB1. These genes are involved in wool quality, polled and horned phenotypes, fertility, twining rate, meat quality, and growth traits. In summary, our results provide shared founders of Gotland sheep and insight into genomic regions maintained under selection after the breed was formed. These results contribute to the detection of candidate genes and QTLs underlying economic traits in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Mohammad Ghoreishifar
- Department of Animal Science, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj 31587-11167, Iran;
| | - Christina Marie Rochus
- Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Sima Moghaddaszadeh-Ahrabi
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz 5157944533, Iran;
| | - Pourya Davoudi
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N5E3, Canada; (P.D.); (S.S.A.)
| | - Siavash Salek Ardestani
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N5E3, Canada; (P.D.); (S.S.A.)
| | - Natalia A. Zinovieva
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, 142132 Podolsk, Russia; (N.A.Z.); (T.E.D.)
| | - Tatiana E. Deniskova
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, 142132 Podolsk, Russia; (N.A.Z.); (T.E.D.)
| | - Anna M. Johansson
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
- Correspondence:
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Ariel O, Brouard JS, Marete A, Miglior F, Ibeagha-Awemu E, Bissonnette N. Genome-wide association analysis identified both RNA-seq and DNA variants associated to paratuberculosis in Canadian Holstein cattle 'in vitro' experimentally infected macrophages. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:162. [PMID: 33678157 PMCID: PMC7938594 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07487-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis, or Johne’s disease (JD), an incurable bovine disease. The evidence for susceptibility to MAP disease points to multiple interacting factors, including the genetic predisposition to a dysregulation of the immune system. The endemic situation in cattle populations can be in part explained by a genetic susceptibility to MAP infection. In order to identify the best genetic improvement strategy that will lead to a significant reduction of JD in the population, we need to understand the link between genetic variability and the biological systems that MAP targets in its assault to dominate macrophages. MAP survives in macrophages where it disseminates. We used next-generation RNA (RNA-Seq) sequencing to study of the transcriptome in response to MAP infection of the macrophages from cows that have been naturally infected and identified as positive for JD (JD (+); n = 22) or negative for JD (healthy/resistant, JD (−); n = 28). In addition to identifying genetic variants from RNA-seq data, SNP variants were also identified using the Bovine SNP50 DNA chip. Results The complementary strategy allowed the identification of 1,356,248 genetic variants, including 814,168 RNA-seq and 591,220 DNA chip variants. Annotation using SnpEff predicted that the 2435 RNA-seq genetic variants would produce high functional effect on known genes in comparison to the 33 DNA chip variants. Significant variants from JD(+/−) macrophages were identified by genome-wide association study and revealed two quantitative traits loci: BTA4 and 11 at (P < 5 × 10− 7). Using BovineMine, gene expression levels together with significant genomic variants revealed pathways that potentially influence JD susceptibility, notably the energy-dependent regulation of mTOR by LKB1-AMPK and the metabolism of lipids. Conclusion In the present study, we succeeded in identifying genetic variants in regulatory pathways of the macrophages that may affect the susceptibility of cows that are healthy/resistant to MAP infection. RNA-seq provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate gene expression and to link the genetic variations to biological pathways that MAP normally manipulate during the process of killing macrophages. A strategy incorporating functional markers into genetic selection may have a considerable impact in improving resistance to an incurable disease. Integrating the findings of this research into the conventional genetic selection program may allow faster and more lasting improvement in resistance to bovine paratuberculosis in dairy cattle. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07487-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Ariel
- Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 0C8, Canada
| | - Jean-Simon Brouard
- Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 0C8, Canada
| | - Andrew Marete
- Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 0C8, Canada
| | - Filippo Miglior
- Center of Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.,Canadian Dairy Network, Guelph, ON, N1K 1E5, Canada
| | - Eveline Ibeagha-Awemu
- Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 0C8, Canada
| | - Nathalie Bissonnette
- Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 0C8, Canada.
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Eydivandi S, Roudbar MA, Ardestani SS, Momen M, Sahana G. A selection signatures study among Middle Eastern and European sheep breeds. J Anim Breed Genet 2021; 138:574-588. [PMID: 33453096 DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Selection, both natural and artificial, leaves patterns on the genome during domestication of animals and leads to changes in allele frequencies among populations. Detecting genomic regions influenced by selection in livestock may assist in understanding the processes involved in genome evolution and discovering genomic regions related to traits of economic and ecological interests. In the current study, genetic diversity analyses were conducted on 34,206 quality-filtered SNP positions from 450 individuals in 15 sheep breeds, including six indigenous breeds from the Middle East, namely Iranian Balouchi, Afshari, Moghani, Qezel, Karakas and Norduz, and nine breeds from Europe, namely East Friesian Sheep, Ile de France, Mourerous, Romane, Swiss Mirror, Spaelsau, Suffolk, Comisana and Engadine Red Sheep. The SNP genotype data generated by the Illumina OvineSNP50 Genotyping BeadChip array were used in this analysis. We applied two complementary statistical analyses, FST (fixation index) and xp-EHH (cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity), to detect selection signatures in Middle Eastern and European sheep populations. FST and xp-EHH detected 629 and 256 genes indicating signatures of selection, respectively. Genomic regions identified using FST and xp-EHH contained the CIDEA, HHATL, MGST1, FADS1, RTL1 and DGKG genes, which were reported earlier to influence a number of economic traits. Both FST and xp-EHH approaches identified 60 shared genes as the signatures of selection, including four candidate genes (NT5E, ADA2, C8A and C8B) that were enriched for two significant Gene Ontology (GO) terms associated with the adenosine metabolic procedure. Knowledge about the candidate genomic regions under selective pressure in sheep breeds may facilitate identification of the underlying genes and enhance our understanding on these genes role in local adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sirous Eydivandi
- Department of Animal Science, Behbahan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Behbahan, Iran.,Faculty of Technical Sciences, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Mahmoud Amiri Roudbar
- Department of Animal Science, Safiabad-Dezful Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education & Extension Organization (AREEO), Dezful, Iran
| | | | - Mehdi Momen
- Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Goutam Sahana
- Faculty of Technical Sciences, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
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Mei C, Gui L, Hong J, Raza SHA, Aorigele C, Tian W, Garcia M, Xin Y, Yang W, Zhang S, Zan L. Insights into adaption and growth evolution: a comparative genomics study on two distinct cattle breeds from Northern and Southern China. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2021; 23:959-967. [PMID: 33614243 PMCID: PMC7868925 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.12.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mongolian cattle (MG, Bos taurus) and Minnan cattle (MN, Bos indicus) are two different breeds of Chinese indigenous cattle, representing North type and South type, respectively. However, their value and potential have not yet been discovered at the genomic level. In this study, 26 individuals of MN and MG were sequenced for the first time at an average of 13.9- and 12.8-fold, respectively. Large numbers of different variations were identified. In addition, the analyses of phylogenetic and population structure showed that these two cattle breeds are distinct from each other, and results of linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed that these two cattle breeds have undergone various degrees of intense natural or artificial selection. Subsequently, 496 and 306 potential selected genes (PSRs) were obtained in MN and MG, containing 1,096 and 529 potential selected genes (PSGs), respectively. These PSGs, together with the analyzed copy number variation (CNV)-related genes, showed potential relations with their phenotypic characteristics, including environmental adaptability (e.g., DVL2, HSPA4, CDHR4), feed efficiency (e.g., R3HDM1, PLAG1, XKR4), and meat/milk production (e.g., PDHB, LEMD3, APOF). The results of this study help to gain new insights into the genetic characteristics of two distinct cattle breeds and will contribute to future cattle breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chugang Mei
- Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.,National Beef Cattle Improvement Center, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Linsheng Gui
- Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.,Qinghai University, Xining 810008, China
| | - Jieyun Hong
- Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.,Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650031, China
| | | | - Chen Aorigele
- Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010000, China
| | - Wanqiang Tian
- Yangling Vocational & Technical College, Yangling 712100, China
| | | | - Yaping Xin
- Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wucai Yang
- Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Song Zhang
- Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Linsen Zan
- Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.,National Beef Cattle Improvement Center, Yangling 712100, China
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12
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Lam S, Zeidan J, Miglior F, Suárez-Vega A, Gómez-Redondo I, Fonseca PAS, Guan LL, Waters S, Cánovas A. Development and comparison of RNA-sequencing pipelines for more accurate SNP identification: practical example of functional SNP detection associated with feed efficiency in Nellore beef cattle. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:703. [PMID: 33032519 PMCID: PMC7545862 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-07107-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Optimization of an RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) pipeline is critical to maximize power and accuracy to identify genetic variants, including SNPs, which may serve as genetic markers to select for feed efficiency, leading to economic benefits for beef production. This study used RNA-Seq data (GEO Accession ID: PRJEB7696 and PRJEB15314) from muscle and liver tissue, respectively, from 12 Nellore beef steers selected from 585 steers with residual feed intake measures (RFI; n = 6 low-RFI, n = 6 high-RFI). Three RNA-Seq pipelines were compared including multi-sample calling from i) non-merged samples; ii) merged samples by RFI group, iii) merged samples by RFI and tissue group. The RNA-Seq reads were aligned against the UMD3.1 bovine reference genome (release 94) assembly using STAR aligner. Variants were called using BCFtools and variant effect prediction (VeP) and functional annotation (ToppGene) analyses were performed. Results On average, total reads detected for Approach i) non-merged samples for liver and muscle, were 18,362,086.3 and 35,645,898.7, respectively. For Approach ii), merging samples by RFI group, total reads detected for each merged group was 162,030,705, and for Approach iii), merging samples by RFI group and tissues, was 324,061,410, revealing the highest read depth for Approach iii). Additionally, Approach iii) merging samples by RFI group and tissues, revealed the highest read depth per variant coverage (572.59 ± 3993.11) and encompassed the majority of localized positional genes detected by each approach. This suggests Approach iii) had optimized detection power, read depth, and accuracy of SNP calling, therefore increasing confidence of variant detection and reducing false positive detection. Approach iii) was then used to detect unique SNPs fixed within low- (12,145) and high-RFI (14,663) groups. Functional annotation of SNPs revealed positional candidate genes, for each RFI group (2886 for low-RFI, 3075 for high-RFI), which were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with immune and metabolic pathways. Conclusion The most optimized RNA-Seq pipeline allowed for more accurate identification of SNPs, associated positional candidate genes, and significantly associated metabolic pathways in muscle and liver tissues, providing insight on the underlying genetic architecture of feed efficiency in beef cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Lam
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
| | - J Zeidan
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
| | - F Miglior
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
| | - A Suárez-Vega
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
| | - I Gómez-Redondo
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada.,Spanish National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology, Carretera de La Coruña, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - P A S Fonseca
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
| | - L L Guan
- Department of Agriculture, Food & Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 2P5, Canada
| | - S Waters
- Teagasc, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Grange, Dunsany, Co. Meath, C15 PW93, Ireland
| | - A Cánovas
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada.
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13
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Chen W, Lv X, Wang Y, Zhang X, Wang S, Hussain Z, Chen L, Su R, Sun W. Transcriptional Profiles of Long Non-coding RNA and mRNA in Sheep Mammary Gland During Lactation Period. Front Genet 2020; 11:946. [PMID: 33101361 PMCID: PMC7546800 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sheep milk and related products have been growing in popularity around the world in recent years. However, the sheep milk industry is limited by low milk yield, and the molecular regulators of ovine lactation remain largely unknown. To investigate the transcriptomic basis of sheep lactation, RNA-Sequencing was used to explore the expression profiles of lncRNA and mRNA of the mammary gland in Hu sheep at three key time points during the lactation stage: 5 days before the expected date of parturition perinatal period (PP), 6 days after parturition early lactation (EL), and 25 days after parturition peak lactation (PL). A total of 1111, 688, and 54 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs as well as 1360, 660, and 17 DE mRNAs were detected in the EL vs PP, PL vs PP, and PL vs EL comparisons, respectively. Several prominent mRNAs (e.g., CSN1S1, CSN1S2, PAEP, CSN2, CSN3, and COL3A1) and lncRNAs (e.g., LNC_018483, LNC_005678, LNC_012936, and LNC_004856) were identified. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that several DE mRNAs and target genes of DE lncRNAs were involved in lactation-related pathways, such as MAPK, PPAR, and ECM-receptor interaction. This study enhances our understanding of how transcriptomic profiles change during the lactation period and pave the way for future studies examining sheep lactation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihao Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyang Lv
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yue Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Xinjun Zhang
- Animal Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Shanhe Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Zahid Hussain
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Ling Chen
- Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine Bureau of Suzhou City, Suzhou, China
| | - Rui Su
- Suzhou Taihu Dongshang Sheep Industry Development Co., Ltd., Suzhou, China
| | - Wei Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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14
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Milk somatic cell derived transcriptome analysis identifies regulatory genes and pathways during lactation in Indian Sahiwal cattle (Bos indicus). Mol Biol Rep 2020; 47:7029-7038. [PMID: 32880836 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05764-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study is an effort to understand the genomic drivers of lactation in Sahiwal (Bos indicus), the best milch cattle breed of the tropics. METHODS RNA sequencing of four animals from early, mid and late lactation stages was performed using milk somatic cells as source of RNA. RESULTS The genes encoding the milk casein and whey proteins showed highest expression in early and mid lactation, with a declining trend towards the late stage. The enhanced expression of PLIN2, FABP5 and FABP3 genes in mid lactation suggests enrichment of the PPARα pathway which is linked to fatty acid metabolism. A gradual decline in the percentage of genes involved in metabolism of proteins, mRNA and insulin synthesis from early to late lactation reflected transition from lactogenesis to involution. Major biological pathways maintained throughout lactation were adaptive immune system, FGF signaling, EGFR signaling, activated TLR4 signaling, NFkB and MAP kinases activation mediated by TLR4 signaling repertoire. Differential expression analysis revealed 547, 1010 and 1313 differentially expressed genes (p < 0.05) between early-late, early-mid and mid-late stages, respectively. The topmost regulatory genes identified by network analysis from the differentially expressed genes, were involved in Chemokine receptor, GPCR and EGFR1 pathways. CONCLUSION The genes and pathways delineated in this study have regulatory implications in cell morphogenesis, lipid droplet formation and protein synthesis in the course of lactation. The study provides an insight into the expression profile of genes influencing milk properties and lactation in Sahiwal cattle.
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15
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Analysis of Whole Genome Resequencing Datasets from a Worldwide Sample of Sheep Breeds to Identify Potential Causal Mutations Influencing Milk Composition Traits. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10091542. [PMID: 32882861 PMCID: PMC7552124 DOI: 10.3390/ani10091542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Different studies have shown that polymorphisms in the sequence of genes coding for the milk proteins and milk fatty acids are associated with milk composition traits as well as with cheese-making traits. However, the lack of coincident results across sheep populations has prevented the use of this information in sheep breeding programs. The main objective of this study was to exploit the information derived from a total of 175 whole genome resequencing (WGR) datasets from 43 domestic sheep breeds and three wild sheep to evaluate the genetic diversity of 24 candidate genes for milk composition and identify genetic variants with a potential phenotypic effect. The functional annotation of the identified variants highlighted five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) predicted to have a high impact on the protein function and 42 missense SNPs with a putative deleterious effect. When comparing the allelic frequencies at these 47 polymorphisms with relevant functional effects between the genomes of Assaf and Churra sheep breeds, two missense deleterious variants were identified as potential markers associated to the milk composition differences found between the Churra and Assaf: XDH:92215727C>T and LALBA:137390760T>C. Future research is required to confirm the effect of the potential functionally relevant variants identified in the present study on milk composition and cheese-making traits.
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16
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Marina H, Reverter A, Gutiérrez-Gil B, Alexandre PA, Porto-Neto LR, Suárez-Vega A, Li Y, Esteban-Blanco C, Arranz JJ. Gene Networks Driving Genetic Variation in Milk and Cheese-Making Traits of Spanish Assaf Sheep. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11070715. [PMID: 32605032 PMCID: PMC7397207 DOI: 10.3390/genes11070715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Most of the milk produced by sheep is used for the production of high-quality cheese. Consequently, traits related to milk coagulation properties and cheese yield are economically important to the Spanish dairy industry. The present study aims to identify candidate genes and their regulators related to 14 milk and cheese-making traits and to develop a low-density panel of markers that could be used to predict an individual's genetic potential for cheese-making efficiency. In this study, we performed a combination of the classical genome-wide association study (GWAS) with a stepwise regression method and a pleiotropy analysis to determine the best combination of the variants located within the confidence intervals of the potential candidate genes that may explain the greatest genetic variance for milk and cheese-making traits. Two gene networks related to milk and cheese-making traits were created using the genomic relationship matrices built through a stepwise multiple regression approach. Several co-associated genes in these networks are involved in biological processes previously found to be associated with milk synthesis and cheese-making efficiency. The methodology applied in this study enabled the selection of a co-association network comprised of 374 variants located in the surrounding of genes showing a potential influence on milk synthesis and cheese-making efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héctor Marina
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; (H.M.); (B.G.-G.); (A.S.-V.); (C.E.-B.)
| | - Antonio Reverter
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd., St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4067, Australia; (A.R.); (P.A.A.); (L.R.P.-N.); (Y.L.)
| | - Beatriz Gutiérrez-Gil
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; (H.M.); (B.G.-G.); (A.S.-V.); (C.E.-B.)
| | - Pâmela Almeida Alexandre
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd., St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4067, Australia; (A.R.); (P.A.A.); (L.R.P.-N.); (Y.L.)
| | - Laercio R. Porto-Neto
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd., St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4067, Australia; (A.R.); (P.A.A.); (L.R.P.-N.); (Y.L.)
| | - Aroa Suárez-Vega
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; (H.M.); (B.G.-G.); (A.S.-V.); (C.E.-B.)
| | - Yutao Li
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd., St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4067, Australia; (A.R.); (P.A.A.); (L.R.P.-N.); (Y.L.)
| | - Cristina Esteban-Blanco
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; (H.M.); (B.G.-G.); (A.S.-V.); (C.E.-B.)
| | - Juan-José Arranz
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; (H.M.); (B.G.-G.); (A.S.-V.); (C.E.-B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-987-291-470
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17
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Wang J, Zhou H, Hickford JGH, Hao Z, Shen J, Luo Y, Hu J, Liu X, Li S. Comparison of the Transcriptome of the Ovine Mammary Gland in Lactating and Non-lactating Small-Tailed Han Sheep. Front Genet 2020; 11:472. [PMID: 32508880 PMCID: PMC7253648 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Small-Tailed Han (STH) sheep are known for their high fecundity, but the survival of lambs is compromised and influences the commercial return from farming these sheep, with this being attributed in part to starvation from insufficient milk production by the ewes. In this study, the transcriptome profiles of the mammary gland of lactating and non-lactating STH ewes were investigated using paired-end RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). An average of 14,447 genes were found to be expressed at peak-lactation in the STH sheep, while 15,146 genes were expressed in non-lactating ewes. A total of 4,003 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that the DEGs were associated with a wide range of cellular components, biological processes and metabolic pathways, including binding activities, signaling pathways, cellular structures, and immune responses. The most highly expressed genes at peak-lactation included CSN2, LGB, LALBA, CSN1S1, CSN1S2, and CSN3, and the 10 most highly expressed genes accounted for 61.37% of the total Reads Per Kilobase of transcript, per Million mapped reads (RPKM). The most highly expressed genes in the mammary gland of non-lactating ewes included IgG, THYMB4X, EEF1A1, IgA, and APOE, and the 10 most highly expressed genes accounted for only 12.97% of the total gene RPKM values. This suggests that the sheep mammary gland undergoes a substantial development in milk protein synthesis infrastructure and promotion of protein transportation during lactation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiqing Wang
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huitong Zhou
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.,Gene-Marker Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Jon G H Hickford
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.,Gene-Marker Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Zhiyun Hao
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jiyuan Shen
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yuzhu Luo
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jiang Hu
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiu Liu
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shaobin Li
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
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18
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Luigi-Sierra MG, Mármol-Sánchez E, Amills M. Comparing the diversity of the casein genes in the Asian mouflon and domestic sheep. Anim Genet 2020; 51:470-475. [PMID: 32281138 DOI: 10.1111/age.12937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We aimed to determine whether casein variants that are currently segregating in ovine populations existed before the domestication of sheep or, to the contrary, if their emergence is much more recent. To this end, we have retrieved whole-genome sequences from Iranian and domestic sheep from Africa, Europe, South and East Asia and West Asia. Population structure analysis based on 55,352,935 SNPs revealed a clear separation between Iranian mouflons and domestic sheep. Moreover, we also observed a strong genetic differentiation between Iranian mouflons sampled in geographic areas close to Tehran and Tabriz. Based on sequence data, hundreds of SNPs mapping to the casein αS1 (CSN1S1, 248 SNPs), casein αS2 (CSN1S2, 268 SNPs), casein ß (CSN2, 146 SNPs) and casein κ (CSN3, 112 SNPs) genes were identified. Approximately 25-63.02% of the casein variation was shared between Iranian mouflons and domestic sheep, and the four domestic sheep populations also shared 44.2-57.4% of the casein polymorphic sites. These findings suggest that an important fraction of the casein variation present in domestic sheep was already segregating in the mouflon prior to its domestication. Genomic studies performed in horses and dogs are consistent with this view, suggesting that much of the diversity that we currently detect in domestic animals comes from standing variation already segregating in their wild ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M G Luigi-Sierra
- Department of Animal Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - E Mármol-Sánchez
- Department of Animal Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - M Amills
- Department of Animal Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain.,Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
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19
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Chitneedi PK, Arranz JJ, Suárez-Vega A, Martínez-Valladares M, Gutiérrez-Gil B. Identification of potential functional variants underlying ovine resistance to gastrointestinal nematode infection by using RNA-Seq. Anim Genet 2020; 51:266-277. [PMID: 31900978 DOI: 10.1111/age.12894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In dairy sheep flocks from Mediterranean countries, replacement and adult ewes are the animals most affected by gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections. In this study, we have exploited the information derived from an RNA-Seq experiment with the aim of identifying potential causal mutations related to GIN resistance in sheep. Considering the RNA-Seq samples from 12 ewes previously classified as six resistant and six susceptible animals to experimental infection by Teladorsagia circumcincta, we performed a variant calling analysis pipeline using two different types of software, gatk version 3.7 and Samtools version 1.4. The variants commonly identified by the two packages (high-quality variants) within two types of target regions - (i) QTL regions previously reported in sheep for parasite resistance based on SNP-chip or sequencing technology studies and (ii) functional candidate genes selected from gene expression studies related to GIN resistance in sheep - were further characterised to identify mutations with a potential functional impact. Among the genes harbouring these potential functional variants (930 and 553 respectively for the two types of regions), we identified 111 immune-related genes in the QTL regions and 132 immune-related genes from the initially selected candidate genes. For these immune-related genes harbouring potential functional variants, the enrichment analyses performed highlighted significant GO terms related to apoptosis, adhesion and inflammatory response, in relation to the QTL related variants, and significant disease-related terms such as inflammation, adhesion and necrosis, in relation to the initial candidate gene list. Overall, the study provides a valuable list of potential causal mutations that could be considered as candidate causal mutations in relation to GIN resistance in sheep. Future studies should assess the role of these suggested mutations with the aim of identifying genetic markers that could be directly implemented in sheep breeding programmes considering not only production traits, but also functional traits such as resistance to GIN infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- P K Chitneedi
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071, León, Spain
| | - J J Arranz
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071, León, Spain
| | - A Suárez-Vega
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071, León, Spain
| | - M Martínez-Valladares
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071, León, Spain.,Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña, CSIC-ULE, 24346, Grulleros, León, Spain
| | - B Gutiérrez-Gil
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071, León, Spain
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20
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Genome-wide analysis reveals the effects of artificial selection on production and meat quality traits in Qinchuan cattle. Genomics 2019; 111:1201-1208. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2018.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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21
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Banos G, Clark EL, Bush SJ, Dutta P, Bramis G, Arsenos G, Hume DA, Psifidi A. Genetic and genomic analyses underpin the feasibility of concomitant genetic improvement of milk yield and mastitis resistance in dairy sheep. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214346. [PMID: 31765378 PMCID: PMC6876840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Milk yield is the most important dairy sheep trait and constitutes the key genetic improvement goal via selective breeding. Mastitis is one of the most prevalent diseases, significantly impacting on animal welfare, milk yield and quality, while incurring substantial costs. Our objectives were to determine the feasibility of a concomitant genetic improvement programme for enhanced milk production and resistance to mastitis. Individual records for milk yield, and four mastitis-related traits (milk somatic cell count, California Mastitis Test score, total viable bacterial count in milk and clinical mastitis presence) were collected monthly throughout lactation for 609 ewes of the Chios breed. All ewes were genotyped with a mastitis specific custom-made 960 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. We performed targeted genomic association studies, (co)variance component estimation and pathway enrichment analysis, and characterised gene expression levels and the extent of allelic expression imbalance. Presence of heritable variation for milk yield was confirmed. There was no significant genetic correlation between milk yield and mastitis traits. Environmental factors appeared to favour both milk production and udder health. There were no overlapping of SNPs associated with mastitis resistance and milk yield in Chios sheep. Furthermore, four distinct Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) affecting milk yield were detected on chromosomes 2, 12, 16 and 19, in locations other than those previously identified to affect mastitis resistance. Five genes (DNAJA1, GHR, LYPLA1, NUP35 and OXCT1) located within the QTL regions were highly expressed in both the mammary gland and milk transcriptome, suggesting involvement in milk synthesis and production. Furthermore, the expression of two of these genes (NUP35 and OXCT1) was enriched in immune tissues implying a potentially pleiotropic effect or likely role in milk production during udder infection, which needs to be further elucidated in future studies. In conclusion, the absence of genetic antagonism between milk yield and mastitis resistance suggests that simultaneous genetic improvement of both traits be achievable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Banos
- Scotland’s Rural College, Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Emily L. Clark
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J. Bush
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, England, United Kingdom
| | - Prasun Dutta
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Georgios Bramis
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Georgios Arsenos
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - David A. Hume
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Australia
| | - Androniki Psifidi
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, England, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: ,
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Transcriptome Profile Analysis of Mammary Gland Tissue from Two Breeds of Lactating Sheep. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10100781. [PMID: 31597369 PMCID: PMC6826511 DOI: 10.3390/genes10100781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammary gland is a crucial tissue for milk synthesis and plays a critical role in the feeding and growth of mammalian offspring. The aim of this study was to use RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology to provide a transcriptome profile of the ovine mammary gland at the peak of lactation. Small-Tailed Han (STH) sheep (n = 9) and Gansu Alpine Merino (GAM) sheep (n = 9), breeds with phenotypic differences in milk production traits, were selected for the RNA-Seq analysis. This revealed 74 genes that were more highly expressed in the STHs than in the GAMs. Similarly, 143 genes that were expressed at lower levels in the STHs than in the GAMs, were identified. Gene ontogeny (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed that these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were associated with binding and catalytic activities, hematopoietic cell lineages, oxytocin signaling pathway and neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction. This is the first study of the transcriptome profile of the ovine mammary gland in these Chinese breeds at peak lactation. The results provide for a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms involved in ovine lactation.
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Salavati M, Bush SJ, Palma-Vera S, McCulloch MEB, Hume DA, Clark EL. Elimination of Reference Mapping Bias Reveals Robust Immune Related Allele-Specific Expression in Crossbred Sheep. Front Genet 2019; 10:863. [PMID: 31608110 PMCID: PMC6761296 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pervasive allelic variation at both gene and single nucleotide level (SNV) between individuals is commonly associated with complex traits in humans and animals. Allele-specific expression (ASE) analysis, using RNA-Seq, can provide a detailed annotation of allelic imbalance and infer the existence of cis-acting transcriptional regulation. However, variant detection in RNA-Seq data is compromised by biased mapping of reads to the reference DNA sequence. In this manuscript, we describe an unbiased standardized computational pipeline for allele-specific expression analysis using RNA-Seq data, which we have adapted and developed using tools available under open license. The analysis pipeline we present is designed to minimize reference bias while providing accurate profiling of allele-specific expression across tissues and cell types. Using this methodology, we were able to profile pervasive allelic imbalance across tissues and cell types, at both the gene and SNV level, in Texel×Scottish Blackface sheep, using the sheep gene expression atlas data set. ASE profiles were pervasive in each sheep and across all tissue types investigated. However, ASE profiles shared across tissues were limited, and instead, they tended to be highly tissue-specific. These tissue-specific ASE profiles may underlie the expression of economically important traits and could be utilized as weighted SNVs, for example, to improve the accuracy of genomic selection in breeding programs for sheep. An additional benefit of the pipeline is that it does not require parental genotypes and can therefore be applied to other RNA-Seq data sets for livestock, including those available on the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) data portal. This study is the first global characterization of moderate to extreme ASE in tissues and cell types from sheep. We have applied a robust methodology for ASE profiling to provide both a novel analysis of the multi-dimensional sheep gene expression atlas data set and a foundation for identifying the regulatory and expressed elements of the genome that are driving complex traits in livestock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mazdak Salavati
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J. Bush
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sergio Palma-Vera
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Reproductive Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Mary E. B. McCulloch
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - David A. Hume
- Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia
| | - Emily L. Clark
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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24
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Brouard JS, Schenkel F, Marete A, Bissonnette N. The GATK joint genotyping workflow is appropriate for calling variants in RNA-seq experiments. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2019; 10:44. [PMID: 31249686 PMCID: PMC6587293 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-019-0359-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) is a popular set of programs for discovering and genotyping variants from next-generation sequencing data. The current GATK recommendation for RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is to perform variant calling from individual samples, with the drawback that only variable positions are reported. Versions 3.0 and above of GATK offer the possibility of calling DNA variants on cohorts of samples using the HaplotypeCaller algorithm in Genomic Variant Call Format (GVCF) mode. Using this approach, variants are called individually on each sample, generating one GVCF file per sample that lists genotype likelihoods and their genome annotations. In a second step, variants are called from the GVCF files through a joint genotyping analysis. This strategy is more flexible and reduces computational challenges in comparison to the traditional joint discovery workflow. Using a GVCF workflow for mining SNP in RNA-seq data provides substantial advantages, including reporting homozygous genotypes for the reference allele as well as missing data. Taking advantage of RNA-seq data derived from primary macrophages isolated from 50 cows, the GATK joint genotyping method for calling variants on RNA-seq data was validated by comparing this approach to a so-called “per-sample” method. In addition, pair-wise comparisons of the two methods were performed to evaluate their respective sensitivity, precision and accuracy using DNA genotypes from a companion study including the same 50 cows genotyped using either genotyping-by-sequencing or with the Bovine SNP50 Beadchip (imputed to the Bovine high density). Results indicate that both approaches are very close in their capacity of detecting reference variants and that the joint genotyping method is more sensitive than the per-sample method. Given that the joint genotyping method is more flexible and technically easier, we recommend this approach for variant calling in RNA-seq experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Simon Brouard
- 1Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C8 Canada
| | - Flavio Schenkel
- 2Center of Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Andrew Marete
- 1Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C8 Canada
| | - Nathalie Bissonnette
- 1Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 0C8 Canada
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Jawasreh K, Amareen AA, Aad P. Effect and Interaction of β-Lactoglobulin, Kappa Casein, and Prolactin Genes on Milk Production and Composition of Awassi Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9060382. [PMID: 31234374 PMCID: PMC6617529 DOI: 10.3390/ani9060382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG), prolactin (PRL), and Kappa casein (CSN3) all contribute to the determination of milk production and composition, but have not been assessed in local Awassi sheep. Therefore, our aim was to analyze the contribution of these genes in milk production and composition traits in commercial Awassi ewe population by genotyping and sequencing these genes. Our results showed the prevalence of the different variations (alleles) of the tested genes in the Awassi population, and no association among β-LG and CSN3 polymorphic genotypes and milk production, or PRL and fat%. Also, all 3 genes help determine the milk production potential of Awassi ewes and help assess milk components, and thus can be used in breeding programs to select for milk potential. Abstract A participatory animal-breeding program was applied to 9 commercial Awassi sheep flocks in Jordan. This study aimed to assess the influence of Beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG), Prolactin (PRL), and Kappa casein (CSN3) genes, genotypes and their interaction on milk production and composition traits of 167 genotyped Awassi ewes via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) followed by sequencing. Allele frequencies for the two variants were 0.42 and 0.58 for β-LG, 0.82 and 0.18 for PRL, and 0.92 and 0.08 for CSN3. No association was found among β-LG and CSN3 polymorphic genotypes with milk production traits. However, ewes with PRL AA genotype showed higher milk production, β-LG AB was associated with lowest fat%, high solid not fat (SNF)%, protein%, and lactose%. β-LG BB was associated with highest milk density. PRL, β-LG, and CSN3 polymorphic genotypes were differentially associated with milk production and component traits. Furthermore, β-LG × PRL interaction showed the highest milk production and fat%; β-LG × PRL recorded the highest SNF%, protein%, lactose%, and milk density, while the PRL × CSN3 had the highest fat% and SNF%. The enhancing effects of these gene interactions can be incorporated in Awassi breeding programs to improve milk production and composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaleel Jawasreh
- Department of Animal Production, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Irbid 22110, Jordan.
| | - Ahmad Al Amareen
- Livestock Directorate, National Agriculture Research center (NARC), 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | - Pauline Aad
- Department of Sciences, Notre Dame University Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh 1211, Lebanon.
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26
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Chi-miR-3031 regulates beta-casein via the PI3K/AKT-mTOR signaling pathway in goat mammary epithelial cells (GMECs). BMC Vet Res 2018; 14:369. [PMID: 30482199 PMCID: PMC6258393 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1695-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MicroRNAs can regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level through translational repression or target degradation. Our previous investigations examined the differential expression levels of chi-miR-3031 in caprine mammary gland tissues in colostrum and common milk stages. RESULTS The present study detected the role of chi-miR-3031 in the lactation mechanisms of GMECs. High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze transcriptomic landscapes of GMECs transfected with chi-miR-3031 mimics (MC) and a mimic negative control (NC). In the MC and NC groups, we acquired 39,793,503 and 36,531,517 uniquely mapped reads, respectively, accounting for 85.85 and 81.66% of total reads. In the MC group, 180 differentially expressed unigenes were downregulated, whereas 157 unigenes were upregulated. KEGG pathway analyses showed that the prolactin, TNF and ErbB signaling pathways, including TGFα, PIK3R3, IGF2, ELF5, IGFBP5 and LHβ genes, played important roles in mammary development and milk secretion. Results from transcriptome sequencing, real-time PCR and western blotting showed that chi-miR-3031 suppressed the expression of IGFBP5 mRNA and protein. The expression levels of β-casein significantly increased in the MC and siRNA-IGFBP5 groups. We observed that the down-regulation of IGFBP5 activated mTOR at the Ser2448 site in GMECs transfected with MC and siRNA-IGFBP5. Previous findings and our results showed that chi-miR-3031 activated the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway and increased β-casein expression by down-regulating IGFBP5. CONCLUSIONS These findings will afford valuable information for improving milk quality and contribute the development of potential methods for amending lactation performance.
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Padilla P, Izquierdo M, Martínez-Trancón M, Parejo JC, Rabasco A, Salazar J, Padilla JÁ. Polymorphisms of α-lactoalbumin, β-lactoglobulin and prolactin genes are highly associated with milk composition traits in Spanish Merino sheep. Livest Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2018.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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28
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Expression patterns and genetic variation of the ovine skeletal muscle transcriptome of sheep from five Spanish meat breeds. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10486. [PMID: 29993012 PMCID: PMC6041298 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28760-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The goal of the current study is to analyse the gene expression profile of the ovine skeletal muscle as well as to characterize the genetic variation of transcripts expressed in such tissue. This aim has been achieved by sequencing the longissimus dorsi transcriptomes of 50 sheep distributed in five pools representing the Canaria de Pelo, Roja Mallorquina, Gallega, Xisqueta and Ripollesa Spanish autochthonous breeds. Approximately, 363 million reads per pool have been produced and 71.9–82.9% have been successfully mapped to the ovine genome in a paired-end mode (2 × 75 bp). The 200 most expressed muscle transcripts (≈1% of the total transcript count) account for 51% (Canaria de Pelo) to 67% (Gallega) of the total ovine skeletal muscle mRNA expression. These highly expressed genes play key roles in pathways related with striated muscle contraction, gluconeogenesis, glycolysis, citric acid cycle and respiratory electron transport. RNA-Sequencing of muscle transcripts has also revealed that ~72% of the SNPs detected with this approach are shared by at least two pools, and 10% of them segregate in the five pools under analysis. Most of the substitutions detected by RNA-Seq are synonymous or missense and only a minority are predicted to have consequences on protein function.
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29
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Choudhary RK, Choudhary S, Verma R. In vivo response of xanthosine on mammary gene expression of lactating Beetal goat. Mol Biol Rep 2018; 45:581-590. [DOI: 10.1007/s11033-018-4196-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Cope ER, Voy BH, Whitlock BK, Staton M, Lane T, Davitt J, Mulliniks JT. Beta-hydroxybutyrate infusion identifies acutely differentially expressed genes related to metabolism and reproduction in the hypothalamus and pituitary of castrated male sheep. Physiol Genomics 2018; 50:468-477. [PMID: 29625019 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00104.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To identify molecular pathways that couple metabolic imbalances and reproduction, we randomly assigned 10 castrated male sheep to be centrally injected into the lateral ventricle through intracerebroventricular cannulas with 1 ml of β-hydroxybutyric acid sodium salt solution (BHB; 12,800 µmol/l) or saline solution (CON; 0.9% NaCl). Approximately 2 h postinjection, sheep were humanely euthanized, and hypothalamus and pituitary tissues were harvested for transcriptome characterization by RNA sequencing. RNA was extracted from the hypothalamus and pituitary and sequenced at a high depth (hypothalamus: 468,912,732 reads; pituitary: 515,106,092 reads) with the Illumina Hi-Seq 2500 platform and aligned to Bos taurus and Ovis aries genomes. Of the total raw reads, 87% (hypothalamus) and 90.5% (pituitary) mapped to the reference O. aries genome. Within these read sets, ~56% in hypothalamus and 69% in pituitary mapped to either known or putative protein coding genes. Fragments per kilobase of transcripts per million normalized counts were averaged and ranked to identify the transcript expression level. Gene Ontology analysis (DAVID Bioinformatics Resources) was utilized to identify biological process functions related to genes shared between tissues, as well as functional categories with tissue-specific enrichment. Between CON- and BHB-treated sheep, 11 and 44 genes were differentially expressed (adj. P < 0.05) within the pituitary and hypothalamus, respectively. Functional enrichment analyses revealed BHB altered expression of genes in pathways related to stimulus perception, inflammation, and cell cycle control. The set of genes altered by BHB creates a foundation from which to identify the signaling pathways that impact reproduction during metabolic imbalances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Cope
- Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Brynn H Voy
- Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Brian K Whitlock
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Meg Staton
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Thomas Lane
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Jack Davitt
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - J Travis Mulliniks
- Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee
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Clark EL, Bush SJ, McCulloch MEB, Farquhar IL, Young R, Lefevre L, Pridans C, Tsang HG, Wu C, Afrasiabi C, Watson M, Whitelaw CB, Freeman TC, Summers KM, Archibald AL, Hume DA. A high resolution atlas of gene expression in the domestic sheep (Ovis aries). PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006997. [PMID: 28915238 PMCID: PMC5626511 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sheep are a key source of meat, milk and fibre for the global livestock sector, and an important biomedical model. Global analysis of gene expression across multiple tissues has aided genome annotation and supported functional annotation of mammalian genes. We present a large-scale RNA-Seq dataset representing all the major organ systems from adult sheep and from several juvenile, neonatal and prenatal developmental time points. The Ovis aries reference genome (Oar v3.1) includes 27,504 genes (20,921 protein coding), of which 25,350 (19,921 protein coding) had detectable expression in at least one tissue in the sheep gene expression atlas dataset. Network-based cluster analysis of this dataset grouped genes according to their expression pattern. The principle of 'guilt by association' was used to infer the function of uncharacterised genes from their co-expression with genes of known function. We describe the overall transcriptional signatures present in the sheep gene expression atlas and assign those signatures, where possible, to specific cell populations or pathways. The findings are related to innate immunity by focusing on clusters with an immune signature, and to the advantages of cross-breeding by examining the patterns of genes exhibiting the greatest expression differences between purebred and crossbred animals. This high-resolution gene expression atlas for sheep is, to our knowledge, the largest transcriptomic dataset from any livestock species to date. It provides a resource to improve the annotation of the current reference genome for sheep, presenting a model transcriptome for ruminants and insight into gene, cell and tissue function at multiple developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L. Clark
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J. Bush
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Mary E. B. McCulloch
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Iseabail L. Farquhar
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Young
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Lucas Lefevre
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Clare Pridans
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Hiu G. Tsang
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Chunlei Wu
- Department of Integrative and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Cyrus Afrasiabi
- Department of Integrative and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - Mick Watson
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - C. Bruce Whitelaw
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Tom C. Freeman
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Kim M. Summers
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Mater Research Institute and University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Alan L. Archibald
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - David A. Hume
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Mater Research Institute and University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
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