Comprehensive Genetic Map of Muscle Lipidome Reveals Novel Insights Into Flavor Variation in Ruminant Meat.

Ruminant meat is an important component of human diets, valued for its unique flavor and nutritional density. Lipids play a dominant role in shaping meat flavor, yet their genetic and biochemical basis remains unexplored. Here, from the analysis of 434 sheep longissimus thoracis samples, the current study presents the first comprehensive lipid map of sheep meat, including 947 lipids.

Selection Increases Mitonuclear DNA Discordance but Reconciles Incompatibility in African Cattle.

Mitochondrial function relies on the coordinated interactions between genes in the mitochondrial DNA and nuclear genomes. Imperfect interactions following mitonuclear incompatibility may lead to reduced fitness. Mitochondrial DNA introgressions across species and populations are common and well documented.

A Graph-based Goat Pangenome Reveals Structural Variations Involved in Domestication and Adaptation.

Pangenomes can facilitate a deeper understanding of genome complexity. Using de novo phased long-read assemblies of eight representative goat breeds, we constructed a graph-based pangenome of goats (Capra hircus) and discovered 113-Mb autosomal novel sequences. Combining this multi-assembly pangenome with low-coverage PacBio HiFi sequences, we constructed a long-read structural variations (SVs) database containing 59,325 SV deletions, 84,910 SV insertions, and 24,954 other complex SV alleles.

History and genetic diversity of African sheep: Contrasting phenotypic and genomic diversity.

Domesticated sheep have adapted to contrasting and extreme environments and continue to play important roles in local community-based economies throughout Africa. Here we review the Neolithic migrations of thin-tailed sheep and the later introductions of fat-tailed sheep into eastern Africa. According to contemporary pictorial evidence, the latter occurred in Egypt not before the Ptolemaic period (305-25 BCE).

MicroRNA-181a Targets GNAI2 and Affects the Proliferation and Induction Ability of Dermal Papilla Cells: The Potential Involvement of the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

Wool is generated by hair follicles (HFs), which are crucial in defining the length, diameter, and morphology of wool fibers. However, the regulatory mechanism of HF growth and development remains largely unknown. Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are a specialized cell type within HFs that play a crucial role in governing the growth and development of HFs.

Anthropogenic events and responses to environmental stress are shaping the genomes of Ethiopian indigenous goats.

Anthropological and biophysical processes have shaped livestock genomes over Millenia and can explain their current geographic distribution and genetic divergence. We analyzed 57 Ethiopian indigenous domestic goat genomes alongside 67 equivalents of east, west, and north-west African, European, South Asian, Middle East, and wild Bezoar goats. Cluster, ADMIXTURE (K = 4) and phylogenetic analysis revealed four genetic groups comprising African, European, South Asian, and wild Bezoar goats.

The Role of in the Proliferation of Hu Sheep Dermal Papilla Cells Is Influenced by DNA Methylation.

Previous studies have shown that the gene is differentially expressed in Hu sheep lamb skin of different pattern types, and its expression level is significantly correlated with hair follicle indices of different pattern types, but the molecular mechanism of the differential expression of the gene remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of DNA methylation on the transcriptional expression of . Firstly, we found that the mRNA expression of the BMP7 gene and the activity of the core promoter of the BMP7 gene were upregulated after 5-Aza-Deoxycytidine-induced demethylation treatment using qRT-PCR and double luciferase reporter assay.

Whole-genome resequencing reveals genomic variation and dynamics in Ethiopian indigenous goats.

Ethiopia has about 52 million indigenous goats with marked phenotypic variability, which is the outcome of natural and artificial selection. Here, we obtained whole-genome sequence data of three Ethiopian indigenous goat populations (Arab, Fellata, and Oromo) from northwestern Ethiopia and analyzed their genome-wide genetic diversity, population structure, and signatures of selection. We included genotype data from four other Ethiopian goat populations (Abergelle, Keffa, Gumuz, and Woyto-Guji) and goats from Asia; Europe; and eastern, southern, western, and northern Africa to investigate the genetic predisposition of the three Ethiopian populations and performed comparative genomic analysis.

miR-329b-5p Affects Sheep Intestinal Epithelial Cells against F17 Infection.

Diarrhea is the most common issue in sheep farms, typically due to pathogenic () infections, such as F17. microRNA, a primary type of non-coding RNA, has been shown to be involved in diarrhea caused by pathogenic . To elucidate the profound mechanisms of miRNA in F17 infections, methods such as F17 adhesion assay, colony counting assay, relative quantification of bacterial fimbriae gene expression, indirect immune fluorescence (IF), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), Western blotting (WB), and scratch assay were conducted to investigate the effect of miR-329b-5p overexpression/knock-down on F17 susceptibility of sheep intestinal epithelial cells (IECs).

Whole-genome resource sequences of 57 indigenous Ethiopian goats.

Domestic goats are distributed worldwide, with approximately 35% of the one billion world goat population occurring in Africa. Ethiopia has 52.5 million goats, ~99.

IBD sharing patterns as intra-breed admixture indicators in small ruminants.

In this study, we investigated how IBD patterns shared between individuals of the same breed could be informative of its admixture level, with the underlying assumption that the most admixed breeds, i.e. the least genetically isolated, should have a much more fragmented genome.

Regulates Myogenesis in Sheep, and SNPs Located in Its Putative Promoter Region Are Associated with Growth and Development Traits.

Previously, was identified as a candidate gene associated with sheep growth traits. This study aimed to investigate the direct role of in regulating myogenesis in embryonic myoblast cells and to investigate the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in its promoter region and sheep growth traits. The function of in myoblast proliferation and differentiation was detected after small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) knocked down the expression of .

Candidate signatures of positive selection for environmental adaptation in indigenous African cattle: A review.

Environmental adaptation traits of indigenous African cattle are increasingly being investigated to respond to the need for sustainable livestock production in the context of unpredictable climatic changes. Several studies have highlighted genomic regions under positive selection probably associated with adaptation to environmental challenges (e.g.

CRABP2 Promotes the Proliferation of Dermal Papilla Cells via the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway.

In our previous study of Hu sheep hair follicles, we found that CRABP2 was highly expressed in DPCs, which suggested that CRABP2 may influence the number of DPCs. In the present study, we aimed to understand the effect of CRABP2 in Hu sheep dermal papilla cells (DPCs). First, we explored the influence of CRABP2 on the ability of Hu sheep DPCs' proliferation.

How to succeed in implementing community-based breeding programs: Lessons from the field in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Breeding programs involving either centralized nucleus schemes and/or importation of exotic germplasm for crossbreeding were not successful and sustainable in most Africa countries. Community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) are now suggested as alternatives that aim to improve local breeds and concurrently conserve them. Community-based breeding program is unique in that it involves the different actors from the initial phase of design up until implementation of the programs, gives farmers the knowledge, skills and support they need to continue making improvements long into the future and is suitable for low input systems.

Integration of the Microbiome, Metabolome and Transcriptome Reveals F17 Susceptibility of Sheep.

() F17 is one of the most common pathogens causing diarrhea in farm livestock. In the previous study, we accessed the transcriptomic and microbiomic profile of F17-antagonism (AN) and -sensitive (SE) lambs; however, the biological mechanism underlying F17 infection has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study first analyzed the metabolite data obtained with UHPLC-MS/MS.

Effect of CUX1 on the Proliferation of Hu Sheep Dermal Papilla Cells and on the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

CUT-like homeobox 1 protein (CUX1), also called CUX, CUTL1, and CDP, is a member of the DNA-binding protein homology family. Studies have shown that is a transcription factor that plays an important role in the growth and development of hair follicles. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of on the proliferation of Hu sheep dermal papilla cells (DPCs) to reveal the role of in hair follicle growth and development.

Epigenetic Regulation of miR-25 and Lnc107153 on Expression of Seasonal Estrus Key Gene in Sheep.

Pituitary pars tuberalis (PT) plays an important role as the transmission center in the seasonal reproduction of animals. It helps convert external photoperiod signals into intrinsic seasonal reproduction signals. In sheep PT, specific expression patterns of several genes (including short photoperiod-induced gene and long photoperiod genes and ) under different photoperiods are crucial characteristics during this signal transduction.

The identification and validation of target genes of IGFBP3 protein in sheep skeletal muscle cells.

This study aimed to identify the target genes of IGFBP3（insulin growth factor binding protein）protein and to investigate its target genes effects on the proliferation and differentiation of Hu sheep skeletal muscle cells. IGFBP3 was an RNA-binding protein that regulates mRNA stability. Previous studies have reported that IGFBP3 promotes the proliferation of Hu sheep skeletal muscle cells and inhibits differentiation, but the downstream genes that bind to it have not been reported yet.

Effect of on the Induction Ability of Dermal Papilla Cells in Hu Sheep.

is a developmental gene that encodes transcription factors. It has been indicated as be a key gene affecting the growth and development of hair follicles, in which dermal papilla cells (DPCs) have been demonstrated to play an important role through their ability to induce the formation of hair follicles. Pre-laboratory studies have found that is differentially expressed in the dermal papilla cells of different pattern types of Hu sheep.

Characteristics of piRNAs and their comparative profiling in testes of sheep with different fertility.

As a novel class of small RNAs, piRNAs are highly expressed in the animal gonads and their main known role is to inhibit transposon activity for ensuring the correctness and integrity of genome. In order to explore the characteristics of piRNAs in sheep testis and their possible regulatory roles on male reproduction, deep sequencing technology was used to sequence small RNAs and identify piRNAs in testes of sheep. The length of piRNAs in sheep testes showed a unimodal distribution between 26 and 31 nt, with a peak at 29 nt.

Preliminary study on the seasonal questing of Ixodes ricinus group ticks in Ain Draham forest (north-western Tunisia) with analyses of their phylogenetic diversity.

The present study aimed to investigate the activity dynamics of Ixodes ricinus group ticks in a forest located in north-western Tunisia (Aïn Draham, Jendouba District) and assess the variation of abiotic factors (temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and relative humidity) during one year survey from September 2016 to August 2017 using the dragging sampling method. A total of 116 questing ticks was collected from the vegetation consisting of 47 adults (19 females and 28 males, sex ratio M:F = 1.47), 45 nymphs and 24 larvae representing 40.

Preliminary study of melatonin in the proliferation and apoptosis of Hu sheep dermal papilla cells .

Previous studies have shown that melatonin has a certain regulatory effect on the growth of sheep wool. However, the mechanism of melatonin action remains unknown. In the present study, we aimed to understand the role of exogenous melatonin in the dermal papilla cells of Hu sheep.

Whole-genome resequencing of Dorper and Hu sheep to reveal selection signatures associated with important traits.

Dorper and Hu sheep exhibit different characteristics in terms of reproduction, growth, and meat quality. Comparison of the genomes of two breeds help to reveal important genomic information. In this study, whole genome resequencing of 30 individuals (Dorper, DB and Hu sheep, HY) identified 15,108,125 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).