Fecundity is an important economic trait in sheep that directly affects their economic and productive efficiency. Our study aimed to identify SNP loci associated with sheep puberty or litter size which could be used in future breeding programs to improve fertility. Genomic DNA was obtained from Hetian and Cele Black sheep breeds and used for reduced-representation genome sequencing to identify SNP loci associated with pubertal initiation and litter size. Selective signatures analysis was performed based on the fixation index and nucleotide diversity, followed by pathway analysis of the genes contained in the selected regions. The selected SNP loci in the genes associated with pubertal initiation and litter size were validated using both sheep breeds. In total, 384,718 high quality SNPs were obtained and 376 genes were selected. Functional annotation of genes and enrichment analysis identified 12 genes associated with pubertal initiation and 11 genes associated with litter size. SNP locus validation showed that two SNP on PAK1 and four on ADCY1 may be associated with pubertal initiation, and one SNP on GNAQ gene (NC_040253.1: g.62677376G > A) was associated with litter size in Cele Black sheep. Our results provide new theoretical support for sheep breeding.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani12192520 | DOI Listing |
Int J Biol Macromol
December 2024
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; CAU-SC Advanced Agricultural & Industrial institute, CAU-SCCD Advanced Agricultural & Industrial institute, China Agricultural University, Chengdu 611430, China. Electronic address:
Litter size in pigs is affected by factors such as ovulation number, embryonic survival, and uterine environment conditions. Endometrial epithelial and stromal cells represent the first site of contact between the embryo and sows; therefore, dynamic changes in the growth and development of these cells are among the major factors affecting the intrauterine environment and implantation. Bone morphogenetic protein receptor type-1B (BMPR1B) is a receptor of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family that has been identified as a candidate gene for reproductive traits in pigs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimal
December 2024
Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n. 46022 Valencia, Spain.
Genetic selection for growth rate has often been related with potential negative effects on various reproductive traits across different species. Using rabbit as a model, this study has evaluated for the first time how genetic selection for growth rate has affected feed efficiency, resource allocation, blood traits, reproductive performance and survival during five reproductive cycles in rabbit does. To this end, we used 88 reproductive rabbit females from two vitrified and rederived populations of the same paternal line, differing only in 18 generations of genetic selection for growth rate (n = 44 for R19V and n = 44 for RV37V).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThyroid
December 2024
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Thyroid hormones (TH) play a key role in fetal brain development. While severe thyroid dysfunction, has been shown to cause neurodevelopmental and reproductive disorders, the rising levels of TH-disruptors in the environment in the past few decades have increased the need to assess effects of subclinical (mild) TH insufficiency during gestation. Since embryos do not produce their own TH before mid-gestation, early development processes rely on maternal production.
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November 2024
Département des sciences animales, Université Laval, Pavillon Paul-Comtois, 2425 rue de l'Agriculture, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada. Electronic address:
In late gestation, the increased energy demand to support the rapid fetal growth can induce an acute negative energy balance associated with a high risk of pregnancy toxemia, especially for prolific ewes (carrying two or more fetuses). The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary energy during the last 6 weeks prepartum on the energy metabolism dynamic responses and the newborn lamb metabolic profile in prolific ewes. Forty-five crossbred (Dorset × Romanov) ewes were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 dietary energy densities: E: 8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMar Pollut Bull
December 2024
Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Panaji, Goa 403004, India.
Microplastics (MPs, <5 mm) are widespread in coastal ecosystems and pose a growing global concern; however, their presence in deep-sea environments remains underexplored, especially in the Indian region. This study addresses this gap by providing the first comprehensive documentation of MPs in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) at a depth of 5000 m, marking the initial effort to assess their presence and abundance in deep-sea core samples. The study investigated the MP concentration, composition and potential sources, revealing a size range between 10 μm and 4900 μm, with average abundances recorded at BC20 (10.
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