A comprehensive characterization of regulatory elements in the chicken genome across tissues will have substantial impacts on both fundamental and applied research. Here, we systematically identified and characterized regulatory elements in the chicken genome by integrating 377 genome-wide sequencing datasets from 23 adult tissues. In total, we annotated 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHow histone modifications regulate changes in gene expression during preimplantation development in any species remains poorly understood. Using CUT&Tag to overcome limiting amounts of biological material, we profiled two activating (H3K4me3 and H3K27ac) and two repressive (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3) marks in bovine oocytes, 2-, 4-, and 8-cell embryos, morula, blastocysts, inner cell mass, and trophectoderm. In oocytes, broad bivalent domains mark developmental genes, and prior to embryonic genome activation (EGA), H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 co-occupy gene bodies, suggesting a global mechanism for transcription repression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe annotation of animal genomes plays an important role in elucidating molecular mechanisms behind the genetic control of economically important traits. Here, we employed long-read sequencing technology, Oxford Nanopore Technology, to annotate the pig transcriptome across 17 tissues from two Yorkshire littermate pigs. More than 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo identify and annotate transcript isoforms in the chicken genome, we generated Nanopore long-read sequencing data from 68 samples that encompassed 19 diverse tissues collected from experimental adult male and female White Leghorn chickens. More than 23.8 million reads with mean read length of 790 bases and average quality of 18.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is very little information about how the genome is regulated in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa). This lack of knowledge hinders efforts to define and predict the effects of genetic variants in pig breeding programs. To address this knowledge gap, we need to identify regulatory sequences in the pig genome starting with regions of open chromatin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA comprehensive annotation of transcript isoforms in domesticated species is lacking. Especially considering that transcriptome complexity and splicing patterns are not well-conserved between species, this presents a substantial obstacle to genomic selection programs that seek to improve production, disease resistance, and reproduction. Recent advances in long-read sequencing technology have made it possible to directly extrapolate the structure of full-length transcripts without the need for transcript reconstruction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBovine embryonic stem cells (bESCs) extend the lifespan of the transient pluripotent bovine inner cell mass in vitro. After years of research, derivation of stable bESCs was only recently reported. Although successful, bESC culture relies on complex culture conditions that require a custom-made base medium and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) feeders, limiting the widespread use of bESCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCharacterizing transcription start sites is essential for understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression. Recently, a new bovine genome assembly (ARS-UCD1.2) with high continuity, accuracy, and completeness was released; however, the functional annotation of the bovine genome lacks precise transcription start sites and contains a low number of transcripts in comparison to human and mouse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although considerable progress has been made towards annotating the noncoding portion of the human and mouse genomes, regulatory elements in other species, such as livestock, remain poorly characterized. This lack of functional annotation poses a substantial roadblock to agricultural research and diminishes the value of these species as model organisms. As active regulatory elements are typically characterized by chromatin accessibility, we implemented the Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin (ATAC-seq) to annotate and characterize regulatory elements in pigs and cattle, given a set of eight adult tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe shift from maternal to embryonic control is a critical developmental milestone in preimplantation development. Widespread transcriptomic and epigenetic remodeling facilitate this transition from terminally differentiated gametes to totipotent blastomeres, but the identity of transcription factors (TF) and genomic elements regulating embryonic genome activation (EGA) are poorly defined. The timing of EGA is species-specific, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarly mammalian embryonic transcriptomes are dynamic throughout the process of preimplantation development. Cataloging of primate transcriptomics during early development has been accomplished in humans, but global characterization of transcripts is lacking in the rhesus macaque: a key model for human reproductive processes. We report here the systematic classification of individual macaque transcriptomes using RNA-Seq technology from the germinal vesicle stage oocyte through the blastocyst stage embryo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAvian gastrointestinal (GI) tracts are highly populated with a diverse array of microorganisms that share a symbiotic relationship with their hosts and contribute to the overall health and disease state of the intestinal tract. The microbiome of the young chick is easily prone to alteration in its composition by both exogenous and endogenous factors, especially during the early posthatch period. The genetic background of the host and exposure to pathogens can impact the diversity of the microbial profile that consequently contributes to the disease progression in the host.
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