AI Article Synopsis
- Aridity and heat significantly impact sheep adaptation, influencing factors like immunity and growth, prompting a study comparing mRNA expression in indigenous Kazakh sheep and exotic Suffolk sheep.
- Transcriptome sequencing revealed 1,158 differentially expressed genes between the two breeds, with higher IgG and IL-1β levels in Kazakh sheep, indicating stronger immune responses.
- The research highlights 21 immune-responsive genes linked to adaptive traits that could help enhance sheep resilience in hot, arid environments, setting the stage for further studies on adaptive evolution.
Article Abstract
Aridity and heat are significant environmental stressors that affect sheep adaptation and adaptability, thus influencing immunity, growth, reproduction, production performance, and profitability. The aim of this study was to profile mRNA expression levels in the spleen of indigenous Kazakh sheep breed for comparative analysis with the exotic Suffolk breed. Spleen histomorphology was observed in indigenous Kazakh sheep and exotic Suffolk sheep raised in Xinjiang China. Transcriptome sequencing of spleen tissue from the two breeds were performed via Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology and validated by RT-qPCR. Blood cytokine and IgG levels differed between the two breeds and IgG and IL-1β were significantly higher in Kazakh sheep than in Suffolk sheep (p < 0.05), though spleen tissue morphology was the same. A total of 52.04 Gb clean reads were obtained and the clean reads were assembled into 67,271 unigenes using bioinformatics analysis. Profiling analysis of differential gene expression showed that 1158 differentially expressed genes were found when comparing Suffolk with Kazakh sheep, including 246 up-regulated genes and 912 down-regulated genes. Utilizing gene ontology annotation and pathway analysis, 21 immune- responsive genes were identified as spleen-specific genes associated with adaptive traits and were significantly enriched in hematopoietic cell lineage, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, complement and coagulation cascades, and in the intestinal immune network for IgA production. Four pathways and up-regulated genes associated with immune responses in indigenous sheep played indispensable and promoting roles in arid and hot environments. Overall, this study provides valuable transcriptome data on the immunological mechanisms related to adaptive traits in indigenous and exotic sheep and offers a foundation for research into adaptive evolution.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7862382 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82878-x | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Rumen-Degradable Starch Improves Rumen Fermentation, Function, and Growth Performance by Altering Bacteria and Its Metabolome in Sheep Fed Alfalfa Hay or Silage.
Animals (Basel)
December 2024
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China.
Alfalfa silage due to its high protein can lead to easier feeding management, but its high proportion of rumen-degradable protein can reduce rumen nitrogen utilization. Nevertheless, increasing dietary energy can enhance ruminal microbial protein synthesis. Thirty-two Suffolk female sheep were used in this study, with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone Tissue Engineering With Chitosan, Carbon Nanotubes, and Hydroxyapatite Biomaterials Enriched With Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Radiographic and Histological Evaluation in a Sheep Model Undergoing Ostectomy (Bone Tissue Engineering in a Sheep Model).
J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater
January 2025
Department of Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo (FMVZ-USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Comminuted fractures associated with tissue loss can adversely affect bone regeneration. Biomaterials enriched with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) employed for supporting osteosynthesis and potentiating osteoconduction are necessary to fill these bone defects. Natural compound biomaterials, similar to bone tissue, have been extensively tested in animal models for clinical use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 3-bp deletion in the SLC45A2 gene is associated with loss of fleece pigmentation in black-fleeced Suffolk sheep.
Anim Genet
February 2025
Davies Research Livestock Centre, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia, Australia.
Sheep have naturally pigmented wool which interferes with dyeing. Selection has been carried out over many years to remove pigment, with substantial success, but most wool still contains some pigment. As an alternative to selection, it has been proposed to take a naturally occurring mutation found in black Suffolk sheep, that blocks wool pigmentation, and introgress it into other breeds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlucose measurements in sheep using a long-term continuous glucose monitor designed for humans.
Front Vet Sci
November 2024
School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
This study evaluated the feasibility of utilizing a continuous glucose monitors (CGM) designed for use in humans to measure glucose levels in sheep. Four Suffolk x Dorset sheep were fitted with jugular catheters and FreeStyle Libre 2 (Abbott®) glucose monitors. Glucose concentration from the CGM were compared with those from a glucometer and traditional assays during a hyperglycemic clamp, aiming to explore a broader range of physiological glucose concentrations in a controlled manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDietary water fly (Notonecta sp.) meal as an alternative protein source for sheep: Effects on performance, nutrient intake, nitrogen balance, and fermentation parameters.
Anim Sci J
November 2024
Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, Mexico.
In this study, the inclusion of water fly (Notonecta sp., NT) meal was compared with conventional protein sources such as soybean meal (SBM) and fish meal (FM) in diets destined for sheep, with specific reference to growth performance, nutrient intake, nitrogen balance, and in vitro rumen fermentation parameters. For 21 days, 18 male Suffolk lambs were randomly assigned to three experimental diets fed: (1) SBM at 130 g/kg dry matter (DM), as a plant-based protein diet; (2) FM at 50 g/kg DM, as an animal-based protein diet; and (3) NT at 60 g/kg DM, as an insect-based protein diet, for ad libitum feed intake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!