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Kern-Lunbery RJ, Rathert-Williams AR, Foote AP, Cunningham-Hollinger HC, Kuehn LA, Meyer AM, Lindholm-Perry AK. Genes involved in the cholecystokinin receptor signaling map were differentially expressed in the jejunum of steers with variation in residual feed intake. Vet Anim Sci 2024; 24:100357. [PMID: 38812584 PMCID: PMC11133974 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2024.100357] [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] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The jejunum is a critical site for nutrient digestion and absorption, and variation in its ability to take up nutrients within the jejunum is likely to affect feed efficiency. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in gene expression in the jejunum of beef steers divergent for residual feed intake (RFI) in one cohort of steers (Year 1), and to validate those genes in animals from a second study (Year 2). Steers from Year 1 (n = 16) were selected for high and low RFI. Jejunum mucosal tissue was obtained for RNA-seq. Thirty-two genes were differentially expressed (PFDR≤0.15), and five were over-represented in pathways including inflammatory mediator, cholecystokinin receptor (CCKR) signaling, and p38 MAPK pathways. Several differentially expressed genes (ALOX12, ALPI, FABP6, FABP7, FLT1, GSTA2, MEF2B, PDK4, SPP1, and TTF2) have been previously associated with RFI in other studies. Real-time qPCR was used to validate nine differentially expressed genes in the Year 1 steers used for RNA-seq, and in the Year 2 validation cohort. Six genes were validated as differentially expressed (P < 0.1) using RT-qPCR in the Year 1 population. In the Year 2 population, five genes displayed the same direction of expression as the Year 1 population and 3 were differentially expressed (P < 0.1). The CCKR pathway is involved in digestion, appetite control, and regulation of body weight making it a compelling candidate for feed efficiency in cattle, and the validation of these genes in a second population of cattle is suggestive of a role in feed efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J. Kern-Lunbery
- USDA, ARS, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA
- Ward Laboratories, Inc., Kearney, NE 68848, USA
| | - Abigail R. Rathert-Williams
- USDA, ARS, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA
- University of Missouri, Division of Animal Sciences, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Andrew P. Foote
- USDA, ARS, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA
- Oklahoma State University, Department of Animal & Food Sciences, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | | | - Larry A. Kuehn
- USDA, ARS, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA
| | - Allison M. Meyer
- University of Missouri, Division of Animal Sciences, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- University of Wyoming, Department of Animal Science, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
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Arias KD, Fernández I, Gutiérrez JP, Álvarez I, Goyache F. Population dynamics of potentially harmful haplotypes: a pedigree analysis. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:487. [PMID: 38755557 PMCID: PMC11097446 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10407-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The identification of low-frequency haplotypes, never observed in homozygous state in a population, is considered informative on the presence of potentially harmful alleles (candidate alleles), putatively involved in inbreeding depression. Although identification of candidate alleles is challenging, studies analyzing the dynamics of potentially harmful alleles are lacking. A pedigree of the highly endangered Gochu Asturcelta pig breed, including 471 individuals belonging to 51 different families with at least 5 offspring each, was genotyped using the Axiom PigHDv1 Array (658,692 SNPs). Analyses were carried out on four different cohorts defined according to pedigree depth and at the whole population (WP) level. RESULTS The 4,470 Linkage Blocks (LB) identified in the Base Population (10 individuals), gathered a total of 16,981 alleles in the WP. Up to 5,466 (32%) haplotypes were statistically considered candidate alleles, 3,995 of them (73%) having one copy only. The number of alleles and candidate alleles varied across cohorts according to sample size. Up to 4,610 of the alleles identified in the WP (27% of the total) were present in one cohort only. Parentage analysis identified a total of 67,742 parent-offspring incompatibilities. The number of mismatches varied according to family size. Parent-offspring inconsistencies were identified in 98.2% of the candidate alleles and 100% of the LB in which they were located. Segregation analyses informed that most potential candidate alleles appeared de novo in the pedigree. Only 17 candidate alleles were identified in the boar, sow, and paternal and maternal grandparents and were considered segregants. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that neither mutation nor recombination are the major forces causing the apparition of candidate alleles. Their occurrence is more likely caused by Allele-Drop-In events due to SNP calling errors. New alleles appear when wrongly called SNPs are used to construct haplotypes. The presence of candidate alleles in either parents or grandparents of the carrier individuals does not ensure that they are true alleles. Minimum Allele Frequency thresholds may remove informative alleles. Only fully segregant candidate alleles should be considered potentially harmful alleles. A set of 16 candidate genes, potentially involved in inbreeding depression, is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine D Arias
- Área de Genética y Reproducción Animal, SERIDA-Deva, Camino de Rioseco 1225, Gijón, 33394, Spain
| | - Iván Fernández
- Área de Genética y Reproducción Animal, SERIDA-Deva, Camino de Rioseco 1225, Gijón, 33394, Spain
| | - Juan Pablo Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Isabel Álvarez
- Área de Genética y Reproducción Animal, SERIDA-Deva, Camino de Rioseco 1225, Gijón, 33394, Spain
| | - Félix Goyache
- Área de Genética y Reproducción Animal, SERIDA-Deva, Camino de Rioseco 1225, Gijón, 33394, Spain.
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Ribeiro VMP, Gouveia GC, Toral FLB. Candidate genes for longitudinal traits under sequential sampling in beef cattle. J Anim Breed Genet 2024; 141:179-192. [PMID: 37917404 DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Both the measurement age of a longitudinal trait and the common pre-sampling procedures used in beef cattle herds may affect the identification of a functional candidate gene (FCG) that is potentially associated with a trait. To identify the FCG that takes part in the genetic control of body weight at five different ages in a beef cattle population with and without sequential sampling, the animals were weighed at different measurement events, around 330, 385, 440, 495 and 550 days old. Genetic parameters were estimated for body weight at each age using a single trait (STM) and a random regression model (RRM). In addition, two different databases were used to estimate the genetic parameters: the first (DB100) was formed by all animals that were weighed in the five measurement events, and the second (DB70) has records of the same population, considering that 70% of the heaviest animals were selected after each measurement event. For DB100, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed with 21,667 SNP markers to identify genomic windows that explained at least 1% of the genetic variance. Additionally, prioritization analyses were performed and FCGs were selected. We associated seven different FCGs with body weight at different ages. Among them, the gene DUSP10 was suggested as FCG in all five ages evaluated. Genetic parameters estimated for body weight using DB100 were similar when STM and RRM were applied. However, when DB70 was used as phenotypic data, there were differences between the two models. When the STM was applied, there were differences between the genetic parameters estimated for body weight when DB100 or DB70 were used as sources of phenotypes, but not for the estimates obtained with RRM. The importance of each gene for animal growth can change at different ages, and different genes may be more relevant to body weight at each different growth stage for beef cattle. Besides, sequential sampling can affect the GWAS results of a longitudinal trait. The age of the animal when a longitudinal trait is measured and pre-sampling can also contribute to inconsistencies in GWAS results for body weight in beef cattle, depending on the time when that data were collected, and consequently on the identification of FCG between studies, even when models that consider a covariance structure are used.
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Zhu Y, Hamill RM, Mullen AM, Kelly AL, Gagaoua M. Molecular mechanisms contributing to the development of beef sensory texture and flavour traits and related biomarkers: Insights from early post-mortem muscle using label-free proteomics. J Proteomics 2023; 286:104953. [PMID: 37390894 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Beef sensory quality comprises a suite of traits, each of which manifests its ultimate phenotype through interaction of muscle physiology with environment, both in vivo and post-mortem. Understanding variability in meat quality remains a persistent challenge, but omics studies to uncover biological connections between natural variability in proteome and phenotype could provide validation for exploratory studies and offer new insights. Multivariate analysis of proteome and meat quality data from Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle samples taken early post-mortem from 34 Limousin-sired bulls was conducted. Using for the first-time label-free shotgun proteomics combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), 85 proteins were found to be related with tenderness, chewiness, stringiness and flavour sensory traits. The putative biomarkers were classified in five interconnected biological pathways; i) muscle contraction, ii) energy metabolism, iii) heat shock proteins, iv) oxidative stress, v) regulation of cellular processes and binding. Among the proteins, PHKA1 and STBD1 correlated with all four traits, as did the GO biological process 'generation of precursor metabolites and energy'. Optimal regression models explained a high level (58-71%) of phenotypic variability with proteomic data for each quality trait. The results of this study propose several regression equations and biomarkers to explain the variability of multiple beef eating quality traits. Thanks to annotation and network analyses, they further suggest protein interactions and mechanisms underpinning the physiological processes regulating these key quality traits. SIGNIFICANCE: The proteomic profiles of animals with divergent quality profiles have been compared in numerous studies; however, a wide range of phenotypic variation is required to better understand the mechanisms underpinning the complex biological pathways correlated with beef quality and protein interactions. We used multivariate regression analyses and bioinformatics to analyse shotgun proteomics data to decipher the molecular signatures involved in beef texture and flavour variations with a focus on multiple quality traits. We developed multiple regression equations to explain beef texture and flavour. Additionally, potential candidate biomarkers correlated with multiple beef quality traits are suggested, which could have utility as indicators of beef overall sensory quality. This study explained the biological process responsible for determining key quality traits such as tenderness, chewiness, stringiness, and flavour in beef, which will provide support for future beef proteomics studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Zhu
- Food Quality and Sensory Science Department, Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Ashtown, D15KN3K Dublin 15, Ireland; School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T12 K8AF, Ireland
| | - Ruth M Hamill
- Food Quality and Sensory Science Department, Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Ashtown, D15KN3K Dublin 15, Ireland.
| | - Anne Maria Mullen
- Food Quality and Sensory Science Department, Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Ashtown, D15KN3K Dublin 15, Ireland
| | - Alan L Kelly
- School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T12 K8AF, Ireland
| | - Mohammed Gagaoua
- Food Quality and Sensory Science Department, Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Ashtown, D15KN3K Dublin 15, Ireland; PEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35590 Saint-Gilles, France.
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Chen B, Yuan C, Guo T, Liu J, Yang B, Lu Z. Molecular Mechanism of m6A Methylation Modification Genes METTL3 and FTO in Regulating Heat Stress in Sheep. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11926. [PMID: 37569302 PMCID: PMC10419070 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241511926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Heat stress is an important environmental factor affecting livestock production worldwide. Primary hepatocytes and preadipocytes derived from Hu sheep were used to establish a heat stress model. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that heat induction significantly increased the expression levels of heat stress protein (HSP) genes and the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification genes: methyltransferase-like protein 3 (METTL3), methyltransferase-like protein 14 (METTL14), and fat mass and obesity associated protein (FTO). Heat stress simultaneously promoted cell apoptosis. Transcriptome sequencing identified 3980 upregulated genes and 2420 downregulated genes related to heat stress. A pathway enrichment analysis of these genes revealed significant enrichment in fatty acid biosynthesis, degradation, and the PI3K-Akt and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways. Overexpression of METTL3 in primary hepatocytes led to significant downregulation of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP110, and significantly increased mRNA m6A methylation; FTO interference generated the opposite results. Primary adipocytes showed similar results. Transcriptome analysis of cells under METTL3 (or FTO) inference and overexpression revealed differentially expressed genes enriched in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, as well as the PI3K-Akt and Ras signaling pathways. We speculate that METTL3 may increase the level of m6A methylation to inhibit fat deposition and/or inhibit the expression of HSP genes to enhance the body's resistance to heat stress, while the FTO gene generated the opposite molecular mechanism. This study provides a scientific basis and theoretical support for sheep feeding and management practices during heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on the Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China; (B.C.); (C.Y.); (T.G.); (J.L.)
- Sheep Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
| | - Chao Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on the Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China; (B.C.); (C.Y.); (T.G.); (J.L.)
- Sheep Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
| | - Tingting Guo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on the Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China; (B.C.); (C.Y.); (T.G.); (J.L.)
- Sheep Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
| | - Jianbin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on the Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China; (B.C.); (C.Y.); (T.G.); (J.L.)
- Sheep Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
| | - Bohui Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on the Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China; (B.C.); (C.Y.); (T.G.); (J.L.)
- Sheep Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
| | - Zengkui Lu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on the Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China; (B.C.); (C.Y.); (T.G.); (J.L.)
- Sheep Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China
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6
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Manaig YJY, Mármol-Sánchez E, Castelló A, Esteve-Codina A, Sandrini S, Savoini G, Agazzi A, Sánchez A, Folch JM. Exon-intron split analysis reveals posttranscriptional regulatory signals induced by high and low n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio diets in piglets. J Anim Sci 2023; 101:skad271. [PMID: 37561402 PMCID: PMC10503648 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skad271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), such as omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3), play a vital role in nutrient metabolism, inflammatory response, and gene regulation. microRNAs (miRNA), which can potentially degrade targeted messenger RNAs (mRNA) and/or inhibit their translation, might play a relevant role in PUFA-related changes in gene expression. Although differential expression analyses can provide a comprehensive picture of gene expression variation, they are unable to disentangle when in the mRNA life cycle the regulation of expression is taking place, including any putative functional miRNA-driven repression. To capture this, we used an exon-intron split analysis (EISA) approach to account for posttranscriptional changes in response to extreme values of n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. Longissimus dorsi muscle samples of male and female piglets from sows fed with n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio of 13:1 (SOY) or 4:1 (LIN), were analyzed in a bidirectional contrast (LIN vs. SOY, SOY vs. LIN). Our results allowed the identification of genes showing strong posttranscriptional downregulation signals putatively targeted by significantly upregulated miRNA. Moreover, we identified genes primarily involved in the regulation of lipid-related metabolism and immune response, which may be associated with the pro- and anti-inflammatory functions of the n-6 and n-3 PUFA, respectively. EISA allowed us to uncover regulatory networks complementing canonical differential expression analyses, thus providing a more comprehensive view of muscle metabolic changes in response to PUFA concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yron Joseph Yabut Manaig
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
- Plant and Animal Genomics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi 26900, Italy
| | - Emilio Mármol-Sánchez
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm 11418, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | - Anna Castelló
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
- Plant and Animal Genomics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Anna Esteve-Codina
- Functional Genomics, CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Silvia Sandrini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi 26900, Italy
| | - Giovanni Savoini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi 26900, Italy
| | - Alessandro Agazzi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi 26900, Italy
| | - Armand Sánchez
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
- Plant and Animal Genomics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Josep M Folch
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
- Plant and Animal Genomics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
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7
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Quéméner A, Perruchot MH, Dessauge F, Vincent A, Merlot E, Le Floch N, Louveau I. Hygiene of housing conditions and proinflammatory signals alter gene expressions in porcine adipose tissues and blood cells. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14405. [PMID: 36530394 PMCID: PMC9756862 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Adipose tissue is an organ with metabolic, endocrine and immune functions. In this tissue, the expressions of genes associated with several metabolic pathways, including lipid metabolism, have been shown to be affected by genetic selection for feed efficiency, an important trait to consider in livestock. We hypothesized that the stimulation of immune system caused by poor hygiene conditions of housing impacts the molecular and cellular features of adipose tissue and that the impact may differ between pigs that diverge in feed efficiency. At the age of 12 weeks, Large White pigs from two genetic lines divergent for residual feed intake (RFI) were housed in two contrasting hygiene conditions (good vs poor). After six weeks of exposure, pigs were slaughtered (n = 36). Samples of blood, subcutaneous (SCAT) and perirenal (PRAT) adipose tissues were collected for cell response and gene expression investigations. The decrease in the relative weight of PRAT was associated with a decline in mRNA levels of FASN, ME, LCN2 and TLR4 (P < 0.05) in pigs housed in poor conditions compared with pigs housed in good conditions for both RFI lines. In SCAT, the expressions of only two key genes (PPARG and TLR4) were significantly affected by the hygiene of housing conditions. Besides, the mRNA levels of both LCN2 and GPX3 were influenced by the RFI line (P < 0.05). Because we suspected an effect of poor hygiene at the cellular levels, we investigated the differentiation of stromal vascular cells isolated from SCAT in vitro in the absence or presence of a pro-inflammatory cytokine, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α). The ability of these cells to differentiate in the absence or presence of TNF-α did not differ among the four groups of animals (P > 0.05). We also investigated the expressions of genes involved in the immune response and lipid metabolism in whole blood cells cultured in the absence and presence of LPS. The hygiene conditions had no effect but, the relative expression of the GPX3 gene was higher (P < 0.001) in high RFI than in low RFI pigs while the expressions of IL-10 (P = 0.027), TGFβ1 (P = 0.023) and ADIPOR2 (P = 0.05) genes were lower in high RFI than in low RFI pigs. Overall, the current study indicates that the hygiene of housing had similar effects on both RFI lines on the expression of genes in adipose tissues and on the features of SCAT adipose cells and whole blood cells in response to TNF-α and LPS. It further demonstrates that the number of genes with expression impacted by housing conditions was higher in PRAT than in SCAT. It suggests a depot-specific response of adipose tissue to the current challenge.
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Dietary fatty acids applied to pig production and their relation to the biological processes: A review. Livest Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2022.105092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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9
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Mármol-Sánchez E, Cirera S, Zingaretti LM, Jacobsen MJ, Ramayo-Caldas Y, Jørgensen CB, Fredholm M, Cardoso TF, Quintanilla R, Amills M. Modeling microRNA-driven post-transcriptional regulation using exon-intron split analysis in pigs. Anim Genet 2022; 53:613-626. [PMID: 35811409 DOI: 10.1111/age.13238] [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: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) to mRNA post-transcriptional regulation has often been explored by the post hoc selection of downregulated genes and determining whether they harbor binding sites for miRNAs of interest. This approach, however, does not discriminate whether these mRNAs are also downregulated at the transcriptional level. Here, we have characterized the transcriptional and post-transcriptional changes in mRNA expression in two porcine tissues: gluteus medius muscle of fasted and fed Duroc gilts and adipose tissue of lean and obese Duroc-Göttingen minipigs. Exon-intron split analysis of RNA-seq data allowed us to identify downregulated mRNAs with high post-transcriptional signals in fed or obese states, and we assessed whether they harbor binding sites for upregulated miRNAs in any of these two physiological states. We found 26 downregulated mRNAs with high post-transcriptional signals in the muscle of fed gilts and 21 of these were predicted targets of miRNAs upregulated in fed pigs. For adipose tissue, 44 downregulated mRNAs in obese minipigs displayed high post-transcriptional signals, and 25 of these were predicted targets of miRNAs upregulated in the obese state. These results suggest that the contribution of miRNAs to mRNA repression is more prominent in the skeletal muscle system. Finally, we identified several genes that may play relevant roles in the energy homeostasis of the pig skeletal muscle (DKK2 and PDK4) and adipose (SESN3 and ESRRG) tissues. By differentiating transcriptional from post-transcriptional changes in mRNA expression, exon-intron split analysis provides a valuable view of the regulation of gene expression, complementary to canonical differential expression analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Mármol-Sánchez
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Susanna Cirera
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | | | - Mette Juul Jacobsen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Claus B Jørgensen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Merete Fredholm
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Tainã Figueiredo Cardoso
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Raquel Quintanilla
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marcel Amills
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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10
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Davoudi P, Do DN, Colombo SM, Rathgeber B, Miar Y. Application of Genetic, Genomic and Biological Pathways in Improvement of Swine Feed Efficiency. Front Genet 2022; 13:903733. [PMID: 35754793 PMCID: PMC9220306 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.903733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the significant improvement of feed efficiency (FE) in pigs over the past decades, feed costs remain a major challenge for producers profitability. Improving FE is a top priority for the global swine industry. A deeper understanding of the biology underlying FE is crucial for making progress in genetic improvement of FE traits. This review comprehensively discusses the topics related to the FE in pigs including: measurements, genetics, genomics, biological pathways and the advanced technologies and methods involved in FE improvement. We first provide an update of heritability for different FE indicators and then characterize the correlations of FE traits with other economically important traits. Moreover, we present the quantitative trait loci (QTL) and possible candidate genes associated with FE in pigs and outline the most important biological pathways related to the FE traits in pigs. Finally, we present possible ways to improve FE in swine including the implementation of genomic selection, new technologies for measuring the FE traits, and the potential use of genome editing and omics technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pourya Davoudi
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, Canada
| | - Duy Ngoc Do
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, Canada
| | - Stefanie M Colombo
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, Canada
| | - Bruce Rathgeber
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, Canada
| | - Younes Miar
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, Canada
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11
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Vincent A, Dessauge F, Gondret F, Lebret B, Le Floc'h N, Louveau I, Lefaucheur L. Poor hygiene of housing conditions influences energy metabolism in a muscle type-dependent manner in growing pigs differing in feed efficiency. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7991. [PMID: 35568703 PMCID: PMC9107456 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12050-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of pigs to cope with inflammatory challenges may by modified by selection for residual feed intake (RFI), a measure of feed efficiency. In the current study, we evaluated skeletal muscle metabolic responses to degraded hygiene conditions in pigs divergently selected for RFI. At 82 d of age, low RFI and high RFI pigs were housed in either poor or good hygiene conditions. After a 6-week challenge, the poor hygiene conditions induced a decrease in growth performance (P < 0.001) and in plasma IGF-I concentrations (P < 0.003) in both lines. In the slow-twitch oxidative semispinalis muscle, poor hygiene conditions induced a shift towards a more oxidative metabolism and an activation of the AMPK pathway in pigs of both RFI lines. In the fast-twitch glycolytic longississimus muscle, poor hygiene conditions were associated to a less glycolytic metabolism in the HRFI line only. Poor hygiene conditions also increased the protein level of lipidation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light-chain 3β (LC3-II) in both RFI lines, suggesting an activation of the autophagy pathway. Altogether, the data revealed muscle-type specific metabolic adaptations to poor hygiene conditions, which may be related to different strategies to fuel the activated immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Vincent
- PEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35590, Saint-Gilles, France.
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12
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Kaewsatuan P, Poompramun C, Kubota S, Yongsawatdigul J, Molee W, Uimari P, Molee A. Comparative proteomics revealed duodenal metabolic function associated with feed efficiency in slow-growing chicken. Poult Sci 2022; 101:101824. [PMID: 35395531 PMCID: PMC8987610 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.101824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Korat chicken (KR), developed in Thailand, is a slow-growing breed developed as an alternative breed for Thai chicken producers. The growing interest in slow-growing chicken meat, due to its unique taste, distinct texture, health benefits, and higher broiler welfare have led to higher market demand for KR. However, its low feed efficiency (FE) has a significant negative impact on farm profitability. Understanding the molecular mechanism regulating FE allows for designing a suitable selection program and contributing to breeding more efficient chicken for poultry production. Thus, the objective of our study was to investigate the proteome differences and possible pathways associated with FE in male KR using a label-free quantitative proteomic approach. Seventy-five KR males were individually evaluated for FE, and duodenum samples from 6 animals (3 high-FE and 3 low-FE chickens) were collected at 10 wk of age for differential abundant proteins (DAPs), protein networks, functional enrichment, and pathway analyses. In this study, we found 40 DAPs significantly associated with FE pathways, including glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, peroxisome, oxidative phosphorylation, tight junction, and cysteine and methionine metabolism. Thus, variations in observed DAPs or genes related to DAPs could be interesting biomarker candidates for selection for higher feed utilization efficiency in chicken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pramin Kaewsatuan
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Chotima Poompramun
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Satoshi Kubota
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Jirawat Yongsawatdigul
- School of Food Technology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Wittawat Molee
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Pekka Uimari
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00790, Finland
| | - Amonrat Molee
- School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
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13
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Cai Z, Christensen OF, Lund MS, Ostersen T, Sahana G. Large-scale association study on daily weight gain in pigs reveals overlap of genetic factors for growth in humans. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:133. [PMID: 35168569 PMCID: PMC8845347 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08373-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Imputation from genotyping array to whole-genome sequence variants using resequencing of representative reference populations enhances our ability to map genetic factors affecting complex phenotypes in livestock species. The accumulation of knowledge about gene function in human and laboratory animals can provide substantial advantage for genomic research in livestock species. Results In this study, 201,388 pigs from three commercial Danish breeds genotyped with low to medium (8.5k to 70k) SNP arrays were imputed to whole genome sequence variants using a two-step approach. Both imputation steps achieved high accuracies, and in total this yielded 26,447,434 markers on 18 autosomes. The average estimated imputation accuracy of markers with minor allele frequency ≥ 0.05 was 0.94. To overcome the memory consumption of running genome-wide association study (GWAS) for each breed, we performed within-breed subpopulation GWAS then within-breed meta-analysis for average daily weight gain (ADG), followed by a multi-breed meta-analysis of GWAS summary statistics. We identified 15 quantitative trait loci (QTL). Our post-GWAS analysis strategy to prioritize of candidate genes including information like gene ontology, mammalian phenotype database, differential expression gene analysis of high and low feed efficiency pig and human GWAS catalog for height, obesity, and body mass index, we proposed MRAP2, LEPROT, PMAIP1, ENSSSCG00000036234, BMP2, ELFN1, LIG4 and FAM155A as the candidate genes with biological support for ADG in pigs. Conclusion Our post-GWAS analysis strategy helped to identify candidate genes not just by distance to the lead SNP but also by multiple sources of biological evidence. Besides, the identified QTL overlap with genes which are known for their association with human growth-related traits. The GWAS with this large data set showed the power to map the genetic factors associated with ADG in pigs and have added to our understanding of the genetics of growth across mammalian species. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08373-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zexi Cai
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, 8830, Tjele, Denmark.
| | | | - Mogens Sandø Lund
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, 8830, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Tage Ostersen
- SEGES Danish Pig Research Centre, Agro Food Park 15, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Goutam Sahana
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, 8830, Tjele, Denmark
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14
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Loor JJ. Nutrigenomics in livestock: potential role in physiological regulation and practical applications. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/an21512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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15
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Jejunal Transcriptomic Profiling for Differences in Feed Conversion Ratio in Slow-Growing Chickens. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11092606. [PMID: 34573572 PMCID: PMC8470203 DOI: 10.3390/ani11092606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The slow-growing Korat chicken (KR) is economically attractive, as KR meat has a high selling price and has thus been used in Thailand to support smallholder farmers. However, low feed efficiency in KR stockbreeding makes the product less competitive and improving KR feed efficiency is central to increasing KR profitability. Using RNA sequencing, we compared the jejunal transcriptomic profiles of low- and high-feed conversion ratio (FCR) KR chickens, to identify FCR-related transcriptional variation and biological pathways. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome analysis revealed that the main pathways involved in KR FCR variation are related to immune response, glutathione metabolism, vitamin transport and metabolism, lipid metabolism, and neuronal and cardiac maturation, development, and growth. This is the first study to investigate, in the jejunum, the molecular genetic mechanisms affecting the FCR of slow-growing chickens. These findings will be useful in line-breeding programs to improve feed efficiency and profitability in slow-growing chicken stockbreeding. Abstract Improving feed efficiency is an important breeding target for the poultry industry; to achieve this, it is necessary to understand the molecular basis of feed efficiency. We compared the jejunal transcriptomes of low- and high-feed conversion ratio (FCR) slow-growing Korat chickens (KRs). Using an original sample of 75 isolated 10-week-old KR males, we took jejunal samples from six individuals in two groups: those with extremely low FCR (n = 3; FCR = 1.93 ± 0.05) and those with extremely high FCR (n = 3; FCR = 3.29 ± 0.06). Jejunal transcriptome profiling via RNA sequencing revealed 56 genes that were differentially expressed (p < 0.01, FC > 2): 31 were upregulated, and 25 were downregulated, in the low-FCR group relative to the high-FCR group. Functional annotation revealed that these differentially expressed genes were enriched in biological processes related to immune response, glutathione metabolism, vitamin transport and metabolism, lipid metabolism, and neuronal and cardiac maturation, development, and growth, suggesting that these are important mechanisms governing jejunal feed conversion. These findings provide an important molecular basis for future breeding strategies to improve slow-growing chicken feed efficiency.
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GWAS and Post-GWAS High-Resolution Mapping Analyses Identify Strong Novel Candidate Genes Influencing the Fatty Acid Composition of the Longissimus dorsi Muscle in Pigs. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12091323. [PMID: 34573305 PMCID: PMC8468772 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Fatty acid (FA) composition is one of the most important parameters for the assessment of meat quality in pigs. The FA composition in pork can also affect human health. Our aim was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and positional candidate genes affecting the FA profile of the longissimus dorsi muscle in a large F2 intercross between Landrace and Korean native pigs comprising 1105 F2 progeny by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and post-GWAS high-resolution mapping analyses. We performed GWAS using the PorcineSNP60K BeadChip and a linear mixed model. Four genome-wide significant QTL regions in SSC8, SSC12, SSC14, and SSC16 were detected (p < 2.53 × 10−7). Several co-localizations of QTLs in SSC12 for oleic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, monounsaturated FAs, polyunsaturated FAs, and the polyunsaturated/saturated FA ratio were observed. To refine the QTL region in SSC12, a linkage and linkage disequilibrium analysis was applied and could narrow down the critical region to a 0.749 Mb region. Of the genes in this region, GAS7, MYH2, and MYH3 were identified as strong novel candidate genes based on further conditional association analyses. These findings provide a novel insight into the genetic basis of FA composition in pork and could contribute to the improvement of pork quality.
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Zhu Y, Gagaoua M, Mullen AM, Viala D, Rai DK, Kelly AL, Sheehan D, Hamill RM. Shotgun proteomics for the preliminary identification of biomarkers of beef sensory tenderness, juiciness and chewiness from plasma and muscle of young Limousin-sired bulls. Meat Sci 2021; 176:108488. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2021.108488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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18
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Giráldez FJ, Mateo J, Carballo DE, Caro I, Andrés S. Divergent values in feed efficiency promote changes on meat quality of fattening lambs. Small Rumin Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2021.106353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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19
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Fang C, Guo F, Zhao X, Zhang Z, Lu J, Pan H, Xu T, Li W, Yang M, Huang Y, Zhao Y, Zhao S. Biological mechanisms of growth performance and meat quality in porcine muscle tissue. Anim Biotechnol 2021; 33:1246-1254. [PMID: 33704018 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2021.1886939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Growth performance and meat quality are important traits for pig production. The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying growth performance and meat quality, and to identify novel target molecules for predicting the growth performance and meat quality. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Diannan small ears pigs (DSP) and Landrace pigs (LP) were assessed by RNA-sequencing analyzing technology. A total of 339 DEGs were obtained between DSP and LP. 146 DEGs were upregulated in LP compared with DSP and 193 DEGs were upregulated in DSP compared with LP. The DEGs were significantly enriched in 26 GO and 3 KEGG pathways. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network with 201 nodes and 382 edges was constructed and 5 modules were extracted from the entire network. The identified upregulated expression of genes involved in glycolysis and myogenesis as well as extracellular matrix may be associated with fast body and muscle deposition rates in LP. Increased expression of genes involved in PPAR signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism as well as oxidative phosphate processes could be related to the intramuscular fat deposition and meat quality in DSP. The present study may provide an improved understanding of the growth performance and meat quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Fang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Fei Guo
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Xiaoqi Zhao
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China.,Institute of Herbivorous Livestock, Yunnan Academy of Animal Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Zining Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Junlan Lu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Hongbin Pan
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Taojie Xu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Weizhen Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Minghua Yang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Ying Huang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Yanguang Zhao
- Research Institute of Pig and Animal Nutrition, Yunnan Academy of Animal Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Sumei Zhao
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
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20
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Jang KB, Kim JH, Purvis JM, Chen J, Ren P, Vazquez-Anon M, Kim SW. Effects of mineral methionine hydroxy analog chelate in sow diets on epigenetic modification and growth of progeny. J Anim Sci 2020; 98:5897043. [PMID: 32841352 PMCID: PMC7507415 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skaa271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The study was conducted to determine the effects of mineral methionine hydroxy analog chelate (MMHAC) partially replacing inorganic trace minerals in sow diets on epigenetic and transcriptional changes in the muscle and jejunum of progeny. The MMHAC is zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu) chelated with methionine hydroxy analog (Zn-, Mn-, and Cu-methionine hydroxy analog chelate [MHAC]). On day 35 of gestation, 60 pregnant sows were allotted to two dietary treatments in a randomized completed block design using parity as a block: 1) ITM: inorganic trace minerals with zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), manganese oxide (MnO), and copper sulfate (CuSO4) and 2) CTM: 50% of ITM was replaced with MMHAC (MINTREX trace minerals, Novus International Inc., St Charles, MO). Gestation and lactation diets were formulated to meet or exceed NRC requirements. On days 1 and 18 of lactation, milk samples from 16 sows per treatment were collected to measure immunoglobulins (immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin A, and immunoglobulin M) and micromineral concentrations. Two pigs per litter were selected to collect blood to measure the concentration of immunoglobulins in the serum, and then euthanized to collect jejunal mucosa, jejunum tissues, and longissimus muscle to measure global deoxyribonucleic acid methylation, histone acetylation, cytokines, and jejunal histomorphology at birth and day 18 of lactation. Data were analyzed using Proc MIXED of SAS. Supplementation of MMHAC tended to decrease (P = 0.059) body weight (BW) loss of sows during lactation and tended to increase (P = 0.098) piglet BW on day 18 of lactation. Supplementation of MMHAC increased (P < 0.05) global histone acetylation and tended to decrease myogenic regulatory factor 4 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA; P = 0.068) and delta 4-desaturase sphingolipid1 (DEGS1) mRNA (P = 0.086) in longissimus muscle of piglets at birth. Supplementation of MMHAC decreased (P < 0.05) nuclear factor kappa B mRNA in the jejunum and DEGS1 mRNA in longissimus muscle and tended to decrease mucin-2 (MUC2) mRNA (P = 0.057) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) mRNA (P = 0.057) in the jejunum of piglets on day 18 of lactation. There were, however, no changes in the amounts of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-8, TGF-β, MUC2, and myogenic factor 6 in the tissues by MMHAC. In conclusion, maternal supplementation of MMHAC could contribute to histone acetylation and programming in the fetus, which potentially regulates intestinal health and skeletal muscle development of piglets at birth and weaning, possibly leading to enhanced growth of their piglets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Beom Jang
- Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
| | - Jong Hyuk Kim
- Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
| | | | | | - Ping Ren
- Novus International, Inc., St. Charles, MO
| | | | - Sung Woo Kim
- Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
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Xu C, Wang X, Zhou S, Wu J, Geng Q, Ruan D, Qiu Y, Quan J, Ding R, Cai G, Wu Z, Zheng E, Yang J. Brain Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Potential Transcription Factors and Biological Pathways Associated with Feed Efficiency in Commercial DLY Pigs. DNA Cell Biol 2020; 40:272-282. [PMID: 33297854 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2020.6071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Feed efficiency (FE) is one of the most important economic traits in the porcine industry. In this study, high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was first utilized for brain tissue transcriptome analysis in pigs to indicate the potential genes and biological pathways related to FE in pigs. A total of 8 pigs with either extremely high-FE group (HE-group) or low-FE group (LE-group) were selected from 225 Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (DLY) pigs for transcriptomic analysis. RNA-seq analysis was performed to determine differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the HE- and LE-group, and 430 DEGs were identified in brain tissues of pigs (|log2(FoldChange)| > 1; adjusted p-values <0.05). Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in synaptic signaling or transmission, and hormone secretion pathways, in which insulin secretion, and oxytocin signaling pathways were closely associated with FE by regulating feeding behavior and energy metabolism (adjusted p-values <0.05). Further, the transcription factors (TFs) analysis and gene co-expression network analysis indicated three hub differentially expressed TFs (NR2F2, TFAP2D, and HNF1B) that affected FE by mainly regulating feeding behavior, insulin sensitivity, or energy metabolism. Our findings suggest several potential TFs and biological pathways for further investigations of FE in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cineng Xu
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Xingwang Wang
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Shenping Zhou
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Jie Wu
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Qian Geng
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Donglin Ruan
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Yibin Qiu
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Jianping Quan
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Rongrong Ding
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Gengyuan Cai
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Zhenfang Wu
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Enqin Zheng
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Jie Yang
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangdong, P.R. China
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22
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Dorji J, MacLeod IM, Chamberlain AJ, Vander Jagt CJ, Ho PN, Khansefid M, Mason BA, Prowse-Wilkins CP, Marett LC, Wales WJ, Cocks BG, Pryce JE, Daetwyler HD. Mitochondrial protein gene expression and the oxidative phosphorylation pathway associated with feed efficiency and energy balance in dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2020; 104:575-587. [PMID: 33162069 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2020-18503] [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] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Feed efficiency and energy balance are important traits underpinning profitability and environmental sustainability in animal production. They are complex traits, and our understanding of their underlying biology is currently limited. One measure of feed efficiency is residual feed intake (RFI), which is the difference between actual and predicted intake. Variation in RFI among individuals is attributable to the metabolic efficiency of energy utilization. High RFI (H_RFI) animals require more energy per unit of weight gain or milk produced compared with low RFI (L_RFI) animals. Energy balance (EB) is a closely related trait calculated very similarly to RFI. Cellular energy metabolism in mitochondria involves mitochondrial protein (MiP) encoded by both nuclear (NuMiP) and mitochondrial (MtMiP) genomes. We hypothesized that MiP genes are differentially expressed (DE) between H_RFI and L_RFI animal groups and similarly between negative and positive EB groups. Our study aimed to characterize MiP gene expression in white blood cells of H_RFI and L_RFI cows using RNA sequencing to identify genes and biological pathways associated with feed efficiency in dairy cattle. We used the top and bottom 14 cows ranked for RFI and EB out of 109 animals as H_RFI and L_RFI, and positive and negative EB groups, respectively. The gene expression counts across all nuclear and mitochondrial genes for animals in each group were used for differential gene expression analyses, weighted gene correlation network analysis, functional enrichment, and identification of hub genes. Out of 244 DE genes between RFI groups, 38 were MiP genes. The DE genes were enriched for the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and ribosome pathways. The DE MiP genes were underexpressed in L_RFI (and negative EB) compared with the H_RFI (and positive EB) groups, suggestive of reduced mitochondrial activity in the L_RFI group. None of the MtMiP genes were among the DE MiP genes between the groups, which suggests a non-rate limiting role of MtMiP genes in feed efficiency and warrants further investigation. The role of MiP, particularly the NuMiP and OXPHOS pathways in RFI, was also supported by our gene correlation network analysis and the hub gene identification. We validated the findings in an independent data set. Overall, our study suggested that differences in feed efficiency in dairy cows may be linked to differences in cellular energy demand. This study broadens our knowledge of the biology of feed efficiency in dairy cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jigme Dorji
- School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083; Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083.
| | - Iona M MacLeod
- Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Amanda J Chamberlain
- Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Christy J Vander Jagt
- Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Phuong N Ho
- Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Majid Khansefid
- Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Brett A Mason
- Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Claire P Prowse-Wilkins
- Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083; Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3010
| | - Leah C Marett
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3010; Agriculture Victoria, Ellinbank Dairy Centre, Ellinbank, Victoria, Australia, 3821
| | - William J Wales
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3010; Agriculture Victoria, Ellinbank Dairy Centre, Ellinbank, Victoria, Australia, 3821
| | - Benjamin G Cocks
- School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083; Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Jennie E Pryce
- School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083; Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
| | - Hans D Daetwyler
- School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083; Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 3083
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Fernández-Barroso MÁ, Caraballo C, Silió L, Rodríguez C, Nuñez Y, Sánchez-Esquiliche F, Matos G, García-Casco JM, Muñoz M. Differences in the Loin Tenderness of Iberian Pigs Explained through Dissimilarities in Their Transcriptome Expression Profile. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10091715. [PMID: 32971875 PMCID: PMC7552750 DOI: 10.3390/ani10091715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The Iberian pig is the most representative autochthonous breed of the Mediterranean region with unique genetic and phenotypic characteristics. The breed has been successfully preserved by its high-quality meat and high-priced products. Tenderness is one of the most relevant meat quality traits, and meat tenderization is influenced by genetic and environmental effects such as pre-slaughter handling and post-mortem conditions. Tenderness could be included in Iberian pig breeding programs, mainly focused on the improvement of premium-cuts percentage, in order to avoid the meat quality decline. A better biological understanding of this trait is needed. In the current study, we analyze the transcriptome of pigs divergent for Warner–Bratzler shear force through RNA-seq technique for the identification, characterization and quantification of candidate genes involved in biological pathways, networks and functions affecting meat tenderness. Abstract Tenderness is one of the most important meat quality traits and it can be measured through shear force with the Warner–Bratzler test. In the current study, we use the RNA-seq technique to analyze the transcriptome of Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle in two groups of Iberian pigs (Tough and Tender) divergent for shear force breeding values. We identified 200 annotated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 245 newly predicted isoforms. The RNAseq expression results of 10 genes were validated with quantitative PCR (qPCR). Functional analyses showed an enrichment of DE genes in biological processes related to proteolysis (CTSC, RHOD, MYH8, ACTC1, GADD45B, CASQ2, CHRNA9 and ANKRD1), skeletal muscle tissue development (ANKRD1, DMD, FOS and MSTN), lipid metabolism (FABP3 and PPARGC1A) and collagen metabolism (COL14A1). The upstream analysis revealed a total of 11 transcription regulatory factors that could regulate the expression of some DEGs. Among them, IGF1, VGLL3 and PPARG can be highlighted since they regulate the expression of genes involved in biological pathways that could affect tenderness. The experiment revealed a set of candidate genes and regulatory factors suggestive to search polymorphisms that could be incorporated in a breeding program for improving meat tenderness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ángel Fernández-Barroso
- Centro Nacional de I+D del Cerdo Ibérico (CENIDCI), INIA, 06300 Zafra, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.G.-C.)
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.S.); (C.R.); (Y.N.); (M.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Carmen Caraballo
- Centro Nacional de I+D del Cerdo Ibérico (CENIDCI), INIA, 06300 Zafra, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.G.-C.)
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.S.); (C.R.); (Y.N.); (M.M.)
| | - Luis Silió
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.S.); (C.R.); (Y.N.); (M.M.)
| | - Carmen Rodríguez
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.S.); (C.R.); (Y.N.); (M.M.)
| | - Yolanda Nuñez
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.S.); (C.R.); (Y.N.); (M.M.)
| | | | - Gema Matos
- Sánchez Romero Carvajal—Jabugo, SRC, 21290 Huelva, Spain; (F.S.-E.); (G.M.)
| | - Juan María García-Casco
- Centro Nacional de I+D del Cerdo Ibérico (CENIDCI), INIA, 06300 Zafra, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.G.-C.)
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Animal, INIA, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.S.); (C.R.); (Y.N.); (M.M.)
| | - María Muñoz
- Centro Nacional de I+D del Cerdo Ibérico (CENIDCI), INIA, 06300 Zafra, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.G.-C.)
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Carmelo VAO, Kadarmideen HN. Genetic variations (eQTLs) in muscle transcriptome and mitochondrial genes, and trans-eQTL molecular pathways in feed efficiency from Danish breeding pigs. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239143. [PMID: 32941478 PMCID: PMC7498092 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Feed efficiency (FE) is a key trait in pig production, as improvement in FE has positive economic and environmental impact. FE is a complex phenotype and testing animals for FE is costly. Therefore, there has been a desire to find functionally relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as biomarkers, to improve our biological understanding of FE as well as accuracy of genomic prediction for FE. We have performed a cis- and trans- eQTL (expression quantitative trait loci) analysis, in a population of Danbred Durocs (N = 11) and Danbred Landrace (N = 27) using both a linear and ANOVA model based on muscle tissue RNA-seq. We analyzed a total of 1425x19179 or 2.7x107 Gene-SNP combinations in eQTL detection models for FE. The 1425 genes were from RNA-Seq based differential gene expression analyses using 25880 genes related to FE and additionally combined with mitochondrial genes. The 19179 SNPs were from applying stringent quality control and linkage disequilibrium filtering on genotype data using a GGP Porcine HD 70k SNP array. We applied 1000 fold bootstrapping and enrichment analysis to further validate and analyze our detected eQTLs. We identified 13 eQTLs with FDR < 0.1, affecting several genes found in previous studies of commercial pig breeds. Examples include MYO19, CPT1B, ACSL1, IER5L, CPT1A, SUCLA2, CSRNP1, PARK7 and MFF. The bootstrapping results showed statistically significant enrichment (p-value<2.2x10-16) of eQTLs with p-value < 0.01 in both cis and trans-eQTLs. Enrichment analysis of top trans-eQTLs revealed high enrichment for gene categories and gene ontologies associated with genomic context and expression regulation. This included transcription factors (p-value = 1.0x10-13), DNA-binding (GO:0003677, p-value = 8.9x10-14), DNA-binding transcription factor activity (GO:0003700,) nucleus gene (GO:0005634, p-value<2.2x10-16), negative regulation of expression (GO:0010629, p-value<2.2x10-16). These results would be useful for future genome assisted breeding of pigs to improve FE, and in the improved understanding of the functional mechanism of trans eQTLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor A. O. Carmelo
- Quantitative Genomics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Group, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Haja N. Kadarmideen
- Quantitative Genomics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Group, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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25
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Lee J, Park N, Lee D, Kim J. Evolutionary and Functional Analysis of Korean Native Pig Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Mol Cells 2020; 43:728-738. [PMID: 32868490 PMCID: PMC7468586 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2020.0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Time and cost-effective production of next-generation sequencing data has enabled the performance of population-scale comparative and evolutionary studies for various species, which are essential for obtaining the comprehensive insight into molecular mechanisms underlying species- or breed-specific traits. In this study, the evolutionary and functional analysis of Korean native pig (KNP) was performed using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data by comparative and population genomic approaches with six different mammalian species and five pig breeds. We examined the evolutionary history of KNP SNPs, and the specific genes of KNP based on the uniqueness of non-synonymous SNPs among the used species and pig breeds. We discovered the evolutionary trajectory of KNP SNPs within the used mammalian species as well as pig breeds. We also found olfaction-associated functions that have been characterized and diversified during evolution, and quantitative trait loci associated with the unique traits of KNP. Our study provides new insight into the evolution of KNP and serves as a good example for a better understanding of domestic animals in terms of evolution and domestication using the combined approaches of comparative and population genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongin Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
- These authors contributed equally to this work.
| | - Nayoung Park
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
- These authors contributed equally to this work.
| | - Daehwan Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Jaebum Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
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26
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Carmelo VAO, Kadarmideen HN. Genome Regulation and Gene Interaction Networks Inferred From Muscle Transcriptome Underlying Feed Efficiency in Pigs. Front Genet 2020; 11:650. [PMID: 32655625 PMCID: PMC7324801 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Improvement of feed efficiency (FE) is key for Sustainability and cost reduction in pig production. Our aim was to characterize the muscle transcriptomic profiles in Danbred Duroc (Duroc; n = 13) and Danbred Landrace (Landrace; n = 28), in relation to FE for identifying potential biomarkers. RNA-seq data on the 41 pigs was analyzed employing differential gene expression methods, gene-gene interaction and network analysis, including pathway and functional analysis. We also compared the results with genome regulation in human exercise data, hypothesizing that increased FE mimics processes triggered in exercised muscle. In the differential expression analysis, 13 genes were differentially expressed, including: MRPS11, MTRF1, TRIM63, MGAT4A, KLH30. Based on a novel gene selection method, the divergent count, we performed pathway enrichment analysis. We found five significantly enriched pathways related to feed conversion ratio (FCR). These pathways were mainly related to mitochondria, and summarized in the mitochondrial translation elongation (MTR) pathway. In the gene interaction analysis, the most interesting genes included the mitochondrial genes: PPIF, MRPL35, NDUFS4 and the fat metabolism and obesity genes: AACS, SMPDL3B, CTNNBL1, NDUFS4, and LIMD2. In the network analysis, we identified two modules significantly correlated with FCR. Pathway enrichment of module genes identified MTR, electron transport chain and DNA repair as enriched pathways. The network analysis revealed the mitochondrial gene group NDUF as key network hub genes, showing their potential as biomarkers. Results show that genes related to human exercise were enriched in identified FCR related genes. We conclude that mitochondrial activity is a key driver for FCR in muscle tissue, and mitochondrial genes could be potential biomarkers for FCR in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor A O Carmelo
- Quantitative Genomics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Group, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Haja N Kadarmideen
- Quantitative Genomics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Group, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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27
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Yang L, He T, Xiong F, Chen X, Fan X, Jin S, Geng Z. Identification of key genes and pathways associated with feed efficiency of native chickens based on transcriptome data via bioinformatics analysis. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:292. [PMID: 32272881 PMCID: PMC7146967 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6713-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improving feed efficiency is one of the important breeding targets for poultry industry. The aim of current study was to investigate the breast muscle transcriptome data of native chickens divergent for feed efficiency. Residual feed intake (RFI) value was calculated for 1008 closely related chickens. The 5 most efficient (LRFI) and 5 least efficient (HRFI) birds were selected for further analysis. Transcriptomic data were generated from breast muscle collected post-slaughter. RESULTS The differently expressed genes (DEGs) analysis showed that 24 and 325 known genes were significantly up- and down-regulated in LRFI birds. An enrichment analysis of DEGs showed that the genes and pathways related to inflammatory response and immune response were up-regulated in HRFI chickens. Moreover, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was also employed, which indicated that LRFI chickens increased expression of genes related to mitochondrial function. Furthermore, protein network interaction and function analyses revealed ND2, ND4, CYTB, RAC2, VCAM1, CTSS and TLR4 were key genes for feed efficiency. And the 'phagosome', 'cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)', 'citrate cycle (TCA cycle)' and 'oxidative phosphorylation' were key pathways contributing to the difference in feed efficiency. CONCLUSIONS In summary, a series of key genes and pathways were identified via bioinformatics analysis. These key genes may influence feed efficiency through deep involvement in ROS production and inflammatory response. Our results suggested that LRFI chickens may synthesize ATP more efficiently and control reactive oxygen species (ROS) production more strictly by enhancing the mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle compared with HRFI chickens. These findings provide some clues for understanding the molecular mechanism of feed efficiency in birds and will be a useful reference data for native chicken breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, China.,Key laboratory of local livestock and poultry genetic resource conservation and bio-breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, People's Republic of China
| | - Tingting He
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, China.,Key laboratory of local livestock and poultry genetic resource conservation and bio-breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, People's Republic of China
| | - Fengliang Xiong
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Xianzhen Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, China.,Key laboratory of local livestock and poultry genetic resource conservation and bio-breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinfeng Fan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, China.,Key laboratory of local livestock and poultry genetic resource conservation and bio-breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, People's Republic of China
| | - Sihua Jin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, China.,Key laboratory of local livestock and poultry genetic resource conservation and bio-breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaoyu Geng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, China. .,Key laboratory of local livestock and poultry genetic resource conservation and bio-breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, People's Republic of China.
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28
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de Lima AO, Koltes JE, Diniz WJS, de Oliveira PSN, Cesar ASM, Tizioto PC, Afonso J, de Souza MM, Petrini J, Rocha MIP, Cardoso TF, Neto AZ, Coutinho LL, Mourão GB, Regitano LCA. Potential Biomarkers for Feed Efficiency-Related Traits in Nelore Cattle Identified by Co-expression Network and Integrative Genomics Analyses. Front Genet 2020; 11:189. [PMID: 32194642 PMCID: PMC7064723 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Feed efficiency helps to reduce environmental impacts from livestock production, improving beef cattle profitability. We identified potential biomarkers (hub genes) for feed efficiency, by applying co-expression analysis in Longissimus thoracis RNA-Seq data from 180 Nelore steers. Six co-expression modules were associated with six feed efficiency-related traits (p-value ≤ 0.05). Within these modules, 391 hub genes were enriched for pathways as protein synthesis, muscle growth, and immune response. Trait-associated transcription factors (TFs) ELF1, ELK3, ETS1, FLI1, and TCF4, were identified with binding sites in at least one hub gene. Gene expression of CCDC80, FBLN5, SERPINF1, and OGN was associated with multiple feed efficiency-related traits (FDR ≤ 0.05) and were previously related to glucose homeostasis, oxidative stress, fat mass, and osteoblastogenesis, respectively. Potential regulatory elements were identified, integrating the hub genes with previous studies from our research group, such as the putative cis-regulatory elements (eQTLs) inferred as affecting the PCDH18 and SPARCL1 hub genes related to immune system and adipogenesis, respectively. Therefore, our analyses contribute to a better understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying feed efficiency in bovine and the hub genes disclosed can be used as biomarkers for feed efficiency-related traits in Nelore cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andressa O de Lima
- Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - James E Koltes
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Wellison J S Diniz
- Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | - Aline S M Cesar
- Department of Agroindustry, Food and Nutrition, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil
| | | | - Juliana Afonso
- Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Marcela M de Souza
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Juliana Petrini
- Exact Sciences Institute, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Marina I P Rocha
- Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Tainã F Cardoso
- Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, Empresa Brazileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Adhemar Zerlotini Neto
- Embrapa Informática Agropecuária, Empresa Brazileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Luiz L Coutinho
- Department of Animal Science, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil
| | - Gerson B Mourão
- Department of Animal Science, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil
| | - Luciana C A Regitano
- Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, Empresa Brazileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, São Carlos, Brazil
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Review: Enhancing intramuscular fat development via targeting fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells in meat animals. Animal 2019; 14:312-321. [PMID: 31581971 DOI: 10.1017/s175173111900209x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the livestock industry, subcutaneous and visceral fat pads are considered as wastes, while intramuscular fat or marbling fat is essential for improving flavor and palatability of meat. Thus, strategies for optimizing fat deposition are needed. Intramuscular adipocytes provide sites for lipid deposition and marbling formation. In the present article, we addressed the origin and markers of intramuscular adipocyte progenitors - fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), as well as the latest progresses in mechanisms regulating the proliferation and differentiation of intramuscular FAPs. Finally, by targeting intramuscular FAPs, possible nutritional manipulations to improve marbling fat deposition are discussed. Despite recent progresses, the properties and regulation of intramuscular FAPs in livestock remain poorly understood and deserve further investigation.
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30
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Ramayo-Caldas Y, Mármol-Sánchez E, Ballester M, Sánchez JP, González-Prendes R, Amills M, Quintanilla R. Integrating genome-wide co-association and gene expression to identify putative regulators and predictors of feed efficiency in pigs. Genet Sel Evol 2019; 51:48. [PMID: 31477014 PMCID: PMC6721172 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-019-0490-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Feed efficiency (FE) has a major impact on the economic sustainability of pig production. We used a systems-based approach that integrates single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) co-association and gene-expression data to identify candidate genes, biological pathways, and potential predictors of FE in a Duroc pig population. RESULTS We applied an association weight matrix (AWM) approach to analyse the results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for nine FE associated and production traits using 31K SNPs by defining residual feed intake (RFI) as the target phenotype. The resulting co-association network was formed by 829 SNPs. Additive effects of this SNP panel explained 61% of the phenotypic variance of RFI, and the resulting phenotype prediction accuracy estimated by cross-validation was 0.65 (vs. 0.20 using pedigree-based best linear unbiased prediction and 0.12 using the 31K SNPs). Sixty-eight transcription factor (TF) genes were identified in the co-association network; based on the lossless approach, the putative main regulators were COPS5, GTF2H5, RUNX1, HDAC4, ESR1, USP16, SMARCA2 and GTF2F2. Furthermore, gene expression data of the gluteus medius muscle was explored through differential expression and multivariate analyses. A list of candidate genes showing functional and/or structural associations with FE was elaborated based on results from both AWM and gene expression analyses, and included the aforementioned TF genes and other ones that have key roles in metabolism, e.g. ESRRG, RXRG, PPARGC1A, TCF7L2, LHX4, MAML2, NFATC3, NFKBIZ, TCEA1, CDCA7L, LZTFL1 or CBFB. The most enriched biological pathways in this list were associated with behaviour, immunity, nervous system, and neurotransmitters, including melatonin, glutamate receptor, and gustation pathways. Finally, an expression GWAS allowed identifying 269 SNPs associated with the candidate genes' expression (eSNPs). Addition of these eSNPs to the AWM panel of 829 SNPs did not improve the accuracy of genomic predictions. CONCLUSIONS Candidate genes that have a direct or indirect effect on FE-related traits belong to various biological processes that are mainly related to immunity, behaviour, energy metabolism, and the nervous system. The pituitary gland, hypothalamus and thyroid axis, and estrogen signalling play fundamental roles in the regulation of FE in pigs. The 829 selected SNPs explained 61% of the phenotypic variance of RFI, which constitutes a promising perspective for applying genetic selection on FE relying on molecular-based prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas
- 0000 0001 1943 6646grid.8581.4Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Spain
| | - Emilio Mármol-Sánchez
- grid.7080.fDepartment of Animal Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSCIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus de LA Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Maria Ballester
- 0000 0001 1943 6646grid.8581.4Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Spain
| | - Juan Pablo Sánchez
- 0000 0001 1943 6646grid.8581.4Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Spain
| | - Rayner González-Prendes
- grid.7080.fDepartment of Animal Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSCIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus de LA Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Marcel Amills
- grid.7080.fDepartment of Animal Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSCIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus de LA Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- grid.7080.fDepartament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Raquel Quintanilla
- 0000 0001 1943 6646grid.8581.4Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Spain
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31
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Messad F, Louveau I, Koffi B, Gilbert H, Gondret F. Investigation of muscle transcriptomes using gradient boosting machine learning identifies molecular predictors of feed efficiency in growing pigs. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:659. [PMID: 31419934 PMCID: PMC6697907 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6010-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Improving feed efficiency (FE) is a major challenge in pig production. This complex trait is characterized by a high variability. Therefore, the identification of predictors of FE may be a relevant strategy to reduce phenotyping efforts in breeding and selection programs. The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of expressed muscle genes in prediction of FE traits in growing pigs. The approach considered different transcriptomics experiments to cover a large range of FE values and identify reliable predictors. Results Microarrays data were obtained from longissimus muscles of two lines divergently selected for residual feed intake (RFI). Pigs (n = 71) from three experiments belonged to generations 6 to 8 of selection, were fed either a diet with a standard composition or a diet rich in fiber and lipids, received feed ad libitum or at restricted level, and weighed between 80 and 115 kg at slaughter. For each pig, breeding value for RFI was estimated (RFI-BV), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) and energy-based feed conversion ratio (FCRe) were calculated during the test periods. Gradient boosting algorithms were used on the merged muscle transcriptomes to identify very important predictors of FE traits. About 20,405 annotated molecular probes were commonly expressed in longissimus muscle across experiments. Six to 267 expressed muscle genes covering a variety of biological processes were found as important predictors for RFI-BV (R2 = 0.63–0.65), FCR (R2 = 0.61–0.70) and FCRe (R2 = 0.49–0.52). The error of prediction was less than 8% for FCR. Altogether, 56 predictors were common to RFI-BV and FCR. Expression levels of 24 target genes were further measured by qPCR. Linear regression confirmed the good accuracy of combining mRNA levels of these genes to fit FE traits (RFI-BV: R2 = 0.73, FRC: R2 = 0.76; FCRe: R2 = 0.75). Stepwise regression procedure highlighted 10 genes (FKBP5, MUM1, AKAP12, FYN, TMED3, PHKB, TGF, SOCS6, ILR4, and FRAS1) in a linear combination predicting FCR and FCRe. In addition, FKBP5 and expression levels of five other genes (IGF2, SERINC3, CSRNP3, EZR and RPL16) significantly contributed to RFI-BV. Conclusion It was possible to identify few genes expressed in muscle that might be reliable predictors of feed efficiency. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-6010-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farouk Messad
- Pegase, INRA, Agrocampus Ouest, 35590, Saint-Gilles, France
| | | | - Basile Koffi
- Pegase, INRA, Agrocampus Ouest, 35590, Saint-Gilles, France
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32
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Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Novel Insights into Heat Stress Responses in Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9060387. [PMID: 31238576 PMCID: PMC6617286 DOI: 10.3390/ani9060387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The general increase in global temperatures has meant that heat stress has become an increasingly significant problem for sheep. This has both direct and indirect impact on their physiological functions, productivity, and health of sheep. Sheep generally live in high-temperature environments; however, the genes and pathways that play regulatory roles in the heat stress responses of sheep remain unclear. In this study, we applied RNA-Seq technology to analyze liver tissues of sheep from heat-stressed and control groups, and screened genes and pathways related to sheep heat stress. This work provides a theoretical foundation for the breeding and production of heat-resistant sheep. Abstract With the intensified and large-scale development of sheep husbandry and global warming, sheep heat stress has become an increasingly important issue. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms related to sheep responses to heat stress. In this study, transcriptomic analysis of liver tissues of sheep in the presence and absence of heat stress was conducted, with the goal of identifying genes and pathways related to regulation when under such stress. After a comparison with the sheep reference genome, 440,226,436 clean reads were obtained from eight libraries. A p-value ≤ 0.05 and fold change ≥ 2 were taken as thresholds for categorizing differentially expressed genes, of which 1137 were identified. The accuracy and reliability of the RNA-Seq results were confirmed by qRT-PCR. The identified differentially expressed genes were significantly associated with 419 GO terms and 51 KEGG pathways, which suggested their participation in biological processes such as response to stress, immunoreaction, and fat metabolism. This study’s results provide a comprehensive overview of sheep heat stress-induced transcriptional expression patterns, laying a foundation for further analysis of the molecular mechanisms of sheep heat stress.
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Vigors S, O'Doherty JV, Bryan K, Sweeney T. A comparative analysis of the transcriptome profiles of liver and muscle tissue in pigs divergent for feed efficiency. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:461. [PMID: 31170913 PMCID: PMC6555042 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5740-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The improvement of feed efficiency is a key economic goal within the pig production industry. The objective of this study was to examine transcriptomic differences in both the liver and muscle of pigs divergent for feed efficiency, thus improving our understanding of the molecular mechanisms influencing feed efficiency and enabling the identification of candidate biomarkers. Residual feed intake (RFI) was calculated for two populations of pigs from two different farms of origin/genotype. The 6 most efficient (LRFI) and 6 least efficient (HRFI) animals from each population were selected for further analysis of Longissimus Dorsi muscle (n = 22) and liver (n = 23). Transcriptomic data were generated from liver and muscle collected post-slaughter. RESULTS The transcriptomic data segregated based on the RFI value of the pig rather than genotype/farm of origin. A total of 6463 genes were identified as being differentially expressed (DE) in muscle, while 964 genes were identified as being DE in liver. Genes that were commonly DE between muscle and liver (n = 526) were used for the multi-tissue analysis. These 526 genes were associated with protein targeting to membrane, extracellular matrix organisation and immune function. In the muscle-only analysis, genes associated with RNA processing, protein synthesis and energy metabolism were down regulated in the LRFI animals while in the liver-only analysis, genes associated with cell signalling and lipid homeostasis were up regulated in the LRFI animals. CONCLUSIONS Differences in the transcriptome segregated on pig RFI value rather than the genotype/farm of origin. Multi-tissue analysis identified that genes associated with GO terms protein targeting to membrane, extracellular matrix organisation and a range of terms relating to immune function were over represented in the differentially expressed genes of both liver and muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stafford Vigors
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - John V O'Doherty
- School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Kenneth Bryan
- School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Torres Sweeney
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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Piles M, Fernandez-Lozano C, Velasco-Galilea M, González-Rodríguez O, Sánchez JP, Torrallardona D, Ballester M, Quintanilla R. Machine learning applied to transcriptomic data to identify genes associated with feed efficiency in pigs. Genet Sel Evol 2019; 51:10. [PMID: 30866799 PMCID: PMC6417084 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-019-0453-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To date, the molecular mechanisms that underlie residual feed intake (RFI) in pigs are unknown. Results from different genome-wide association studies and gene expression analyses are not always consistent. The aim of this research was to use machine learning to identify genes associated with feed efficiency (FE) using transcriptomic (RNA-Seq) data from pigs that are phenotypically extreme for RFI. Methods RFI was computed by considering within-sex regression on mean metabolic body weight, average daily gain, and average backfat gain. RNA-Seq analyses were performed on liver and duodenum tissue from 32 high and 33 low RFI pigs collected at 153 d of age. Machine-learning algorithms were used to predict RFI class based on gene expression levels in liver and duodenum after adjusting for batch effects. Genes were ranked according to their contribution to the classification using the permutation accuracy importance score in an unbiased random forest (RF) algorithm based on conditional inference. Support vector machine, RF, elastic net (ENET) and nearest shrunken centroid algorithms were tested using different subsets of the top rank genes. Nested resampling for hyperparameter tuning was implemented with tenfold cross-validation in the outer and inner loops. Results The best classification was obtained with ENET using the expression of 200 genes in liver [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC): 0.85; accuracy: 0.78] and 100 genes in duodenum (AUROC: 0.76; accuracy: 0.69). Canonical pathways and candidate genes that were previously reported as associated with FE in several species were identified. The most remarkable pathways and genes identified were NRF2-mediated oxidative stress response and aldosterone signalling in epithelial cells, the DNAJC6, DNAJC1, MAPK8, PRKD3 genes in duodenum, and melatonin degradation II, PPARα/RXRα activation, and GPCR-mediated nutrient sensing in enteroendocrine cells and SMOX, IL4I1, PRKAR2B, CLOCK and CCK genes in liver. Conclusions ML algorithms and RNA-Seq expression data were found to provide good performance for classifying pigs into high or low RFI groups. Classification was better with gene expression data from liver than from duodenum. Genes associated with FE in liver and duodenum tissue that can be used as predictive biomarkers for this trait were identified. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12711-019-0453-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Piles
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon s/n, 08140, Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Carlos Fernandez-Lozano
- Computer Science Department, University of A Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071, A Coruña, Spain
| | - María Velasco-Galilea
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon s/n, 08140, Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Olga González-Rodríguez
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon s/n, 08140, Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Pablo Sánchez
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon s/n, 08140, Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Torrallardona
- Animal Nutrition Program, Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (IRTA), Mas de Bover, 43120, Constantí, Spain
| | - Maria Ballester
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon s/n, 08140, Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Quintanilla
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon s/n, 08140, Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
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Horodyska J, Hamill RM, Reyer H, Trakooljul N, Lawlor PG, McCormack UM, Wimmers K. RNA-Seq of Liver From Pigs Divergent in Feed Efficiency Highlights Shifts in Macronutrient Metabolism, Hepatic Growth and Immune Response. Front Genet 2019; 10:117. [PMID: 30838035 PMCID: PMC6389832 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Liver is a metabolically complex organ that influences nutrient partitioning and potentially modulates the efficiency of converting energy acquired from macronutrients ingestion into a muscle and/or adipose tissue (referred to as feed efficiency, FE). The objective of this study was to sequence the hepatic tissue transcriptome of closely related but differently feed efficient pigs (n = 16) and identify relevant biological processes that underpin the differences in liver phenotype between FE groups. Liver weight did not significantly differ between the FE groups, however, blood parameters showed that total protein, glucose, cholesterol and percentage of lymphocytes were significantly greater in high-FE pigs. Ontology analysis revealed carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism to be significantly enriched with differentially expressed genes. In particular, high-FE pigs exhibited gene expression patterns suggesting improved absorption of carbohydrates and cholesterol as well as enhanced reverse cholesterol transport. Furthermore, the inferred decrease in bile acid synthesis in high-FE pigs may contribute to the observed greater levels of serum glucose, which can be then delivered to cells and utilized for growth and maintenance. Gene ontology analysis also suggested that livers of more efficient pigs may be characterized by higher protein turnover and increased epithelial cell differentiation, whereby an enhanced quantity of invariant natural killer T-cells and viability of natural killer cells could induce a quicker and more effective hepatic response to inflammatory stimuli. Our findings suggest that this prompt hepatic response to inflammation in high-FE group may contribute to the more efficient utilization of nutrients for growth in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna Horodyska
- Teagasc, Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Ireland.,Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | | | - Henry Reyer
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Nares Trakooljul
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Peadar G Lawlor
- Teagasc, Pig Production Department, AGRIC, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
| | - Ursula M McCormack
- Teagasc, Pig Production Department, AGRIC, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
| | - Klaus Wimmers
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany.,Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Horodyska J, Reyer H, Wimmers K, Trakooljul N, Lawlor PG, Hamill RM. Transcriptome analysis of adipose tissue from pigs divergent in feed efficiency reveals alteration in gene networks related to adipose growth, lipid metabolism, extracellular matrix, and immune response. Mol Genet Genomics 2018; 294:395-408. [PMID: 30483895 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-018-1515-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Adipose tissue is hypothesized to play a vital role in regulation of feed efficiency (FE; efficiency in converting energy and nutrients into tissue), of which improvement will simultaneously reduce environmental impact and feed cost per pig. The objective of the present study was to sequence the subcutaneous adipose tissue transcriptome in FE-divergent pigs (n = 16) and identify relevant biological processes underpinning observed differences in FE. We previously demonstrated that high-FE pigs were associated with lower fatness when compared to their counterparts. Here, ontology analysis of a total of 209 annotated genes that were differentially expressed at a p < 0.01 revealed establishment of a dense extracellular matrix and inhibition of capillary formation as one underlying mechanism to achieve suppressed adipogenesis. Moreover, mechanisms ensuring an efficient utilization of lipids in high-FE pigs might be orchestrated by upstream regulators including CEBPA and EGF. Consequently, high-FE adipose tissue could exhibit more efficient cholesterol disposal, whilst inhibition of inflammatory and immune response in high-FE pigs may be an indicator of an optimally functioning adipose tissue. Taken together, adipose tissue growth, extracellular matrix formation, lipid metabolism and inflammatory and immune response are key biological events underpinning the differences in FE. Further investigations focusing on elucidating these processes would assist the animal production industry in optimizing strategies related to nutrient utilization and product quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna Horodyska
- Teagasc, Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.,Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Henry Reyer
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Klaus Wimmers
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany.,Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Nares Trakooljul
- Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute for Genome Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Peadar G Lawlor
- Teagasc, Pig Development Department, AGRIC, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
| | - Ruth M Hamill
- Teagasc, Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
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