Multidimensional Phenotypic and Microbiome Studies Uncover an Association Between Reduced Feed Efficiency in Sheep During Mycoplasmal Pneumonia and Microbial Crosstalk Within the Rumen-Lung Axis.

Mycoplasmal pneumonia of sheep (MPS), caused by , profoundly impacts ovine productivity and survival. Although gut-lung microbiota interactions are increasingly recognized in respiratory diseases, whether similar crosstalk occurs between the lung and rumen microbiota in MPS-affected sheep remains unknown. To investigate alterations in the lung and rumen microbiota of sheep with MPS, the crosstalk between these microbial communities, and their impacts on growth phenotypes.

Integrative Analysis of Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Provides Insights into Meat Quality Differences in Hu Sheep with Different Carcass Performance.

Meat quality is a critical determinant of consumer preference and economic value in the livestock industry. However, the relationship between carcass performance and meat quality remains poorly understood. In our study, we conducted an integrative analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying meat quality differences in Hu sheep with high (HHS, = 10) and low (LHS, = 10) carcass performance.

Ovine and Gene Polymorphisms and their Association with Tail Fat Weight in Sheep.

Tail fat weight is a key economic trait in fat-tailed sheep; reducing tail fat deposition is of significant importance for improving the economic efficiency of sheep farming. In this article, we measured the live weight before slaughter, tail fat weight, and carcass weight of Hu male sheep at 6 months of age and performed the descriptive statistical analysis. The results indicated the coefficient of variation of tail fat-related-traits ranged from 25% to 50%.

RNA-Seq and WGCNA Identify Key Regulatory Modules and Genes Associated with Water-Holding Capacity and Tenderness in Sheep.

Meat quality traits, particularly WHC and tenderness, are pivotal for consumer satisfaction and economic value in the sheep industry. However, their genetic regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. We used RNA-Seq and WGCNA to identify genes regulating WHC and tenderness.

Exploring the cecal microbial community associated with fat deposition in sheep and its possible pathways of action.

Unlabelled: Fat deposition is a crucial economic trait during sheep growth and development, closely linked to economic returns. Current research on sheep's digestive tract predominantly focuses on the rumen, but the composition of the cecal microbiota and its relationship with host fat deposition remains largely unexplored. In this study, we sequenced the cecal microbiota of 60 Hu sheep, exhibiting marked differences in traits.

Differences in rectal fecal microbes among Hu sheep, Tibetan sheep, and their hybrid breeds and their relationship with growth traits.

Unlabelled: Variety and diversity serve as the foundation for animal husbandry development. Nowadays, heterosis is often used to improve animal performance and increase economic benefits. The intestine is an important organ for nutrient absorption and is also the largest immune organ in the body.

Differences in production performance, fore-digestive tract microbiota, and expression levels of nutrient transporters of Hu sheep with different feed conversion ratio.

Unlabelled: Increasing strain on feed resources has led to a gradual increase in feed input costs, making it necessary to improve feed efficiency in livestock and poultry. In this study, Hu sheep were divided into two groups (high and low feed conversion ratio [FCR]) according to the FCR. Based on 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing technology to compare rumen and small intestine microbial composition, the differences and similarities of production performance, expression level of intestinal nutrient-specific carrier, digestive enzyme activity, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content, muscle conventional nutrient content, and blood biochemical indexes of Hu sheep in high- and low-FCR groups were investigated, and correlation analysis was conducted.

Relationship between sheep feces scores and gastrointestinal microorganisms and their effects on growth traits and blood indicators.

Fecal scores are crucial for assessing the digestive and gastrointestinal status of animals. The Bristol fecal scoring system is a commonly used method for the subjective evaluation of host feces, there is limited research on fecal scoring standards for fattening Hu sheep. In this study, Hu sheep were collected for rumen, rectum, and colon contents for 16S rDNA sequencing.

PDE9A polymorphism and association analysis with growth performance and gastrointestinal weight of Hu sheep.

Phosphodiesterase 9A (PDE9A) plays a crucial role in activating the cGMP-dependent signaling pathway and may have important effects on the growth and development of the gastrointestinal tract in Hu sheep. In this study, we analyzed the single nucleotide polymorphisms of PDE9A in 988 Hu sheep and their correlation with growth performance, feed efficiency, and gastrointestinal development. Additionally, we examined the expression level of different PDE9A genotypes in the gastrointestinal tract of Hu sheep by using fluorescence quantitative PCR.

Polymorphism in gene and its association with scrotal circumference in Hu lambs.

Scrotal circumference is an important reproductive index of breeding rams, which has a high genetic correlation with ejaculation volume and semen quality. In this study, the scrotal circumference of 1353 male Hu sheep at different stages of development was measured and descriptive statistical analysis was performed. The results showed that the coefficient of variation of scrotal circumference at each stage was greater than 10%, and its heritability were moderately to high, ranging from 0.

Identification of and genes polymorphisms in Hu sheep and their relationship with body size traits.

The body size traits are major traits in livestock, which intuitively displays the development of the animal's bones and muscles. This study used PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing, KASPar genotyping, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to analyze the Single-nucleotide polymorphism and expression characteristics of Argonaute RISC catalytic component 2 () and Plectin () genes in Hu sheep. Two intron mutations were found in Hu sheep, which were g.

Polymorphisms of PLIN1 and MOGAT1 genes and their association with feed efficiency in Hu sheep.

Feed cost accounts for a high proportion of sheep production, and improving sheep's utilization of feed will reduce production costs and improve economic benefits. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression characteristics of PLIN1 and MOGAT1 genes and the relationship between their polymorphisms and feed efficiency traits in Hu sheep, and to find molecular Genetic marker that can be used in breeding. The expression levels of PLIN1 and MOGAT1 genes in various tissues were determined using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

Relationship between hindgut microbes and feed conversion ratio in Hu sheep and microbial longitudinal development.

Feed efficiency is an important indicator in the sheep production process, which plays an important role in improving economic benefits and strengthening energy conservation and emission reduction. Compared with the rumen, the fermentation of the hindgut microorganisms can also provide part of the energy for the host, and the composition of the hindgut microorganisms will affect the feed efficiency. Therefore, we hope to find new ways to regulate sheep feed efficiency by studying the sheep gut microbes.

Polymorphism and expression level of the gene and associated with the growth traits in Hu sheep.

Growth traits are the economically important traits of sheep, and screening for genes related to growth and development is helpful for the genetic improvement of ovine growth traits. The fatty acid desaturase 3 () is one of the important genes affecting the synthesis and accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in animals. In this study, the expression levels of the gene and polymorphism of the gene associated with growth traits in Hu sheep were detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Sanger sequencing, and KAspar assay.

Expression of the Ovine Gene and the Relationship Between Its Polymorphism and Feed Efficiency Traits.

In the mutton industry, feed efficiency traits have the greatest influence on the economic benefits of sheep raised in housing conditions. In this study, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Sanger sequencing, and KASPar methods were used to detect the expression levels of the B cell scaffold protein with ankyrin repeats 1 () gene and the relationship between its polymorphism and feed efficiency traits in Hu sheep. The qRT-PCR results showed that the gene was extensively expressed in 10 tissues and it was expressed at remarkably higher levels in lymph than in other tissues ( < 0.

Effects of milk replacer feeding level on growth performance, rumen development and the ruminal bacterial community in lambs.

Feeding with a suitable level of milk replacer (MR) can improve the survival rate and stimulate the growth potential of early lambs. However, feeding excessive MR might be detrimental to rumen development and microbial colonization. Herein, we investigated the effects of feeding different levels of MR on rumen digestive function and ruminal microorganisms.

Polymorphisms in and genes and their association with feed conversion ratio in Hu sheep.

In animal husbandry, feed efficiency is a crucial economic trait. In this study, the general linear model was used to perform association analysis for various genotypes and feed conversion ratio (FCR)-related traits. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of and mRNA levels in 10 tissues from 6 sheep.

Polymorphism in ovine gene and its association with residual feed intake in Hu sheep.

Feed efficiency makes up a large part of sheep production, which also has a crucial impact on the economic benefits of producers. This study explores the polymorphism of gene associated with feed efficiency and detects the expression characteristics of in ten tissues of Hu sheep. The polymorphism of was recognized by using PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing, KASPar technology was used for genotyping subsequently, and the relationship between SNP and RFI is also studied.

Novel polymorphism at gene and its association with growth traits in Hu sheep.

Growth traits are important economic characteristics of livestock and poultry. In the present study, the expression features of and the relationship between gene polymorphisms and growth traits in Hu sheep were investigated by using real-time quantitative PCR technology (qPCR), Sanger sequencing, and Kaspar genotyping technology. The qPCR results showed that the gene is expressed widely in the tested tissues of Hu sheep, and the expression level of the gene in the heart and the muscle was significantly higher than in other tissues ( < 0.

Association between rumen microbiota and marbling grade in Hu sheep.

The marbling fat regulates the flavor of mutton and measures the fat density in the loin eye and is the most important parameter of carcass grading. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship of rumen microbiota and mutton marbling grade. One hundred and eighty-seven feedlot-finished Hu male lambs (Age: 180 day; Final BW: 46.

Ovine and gene polymorphisms and their association with tail fat deposition in Hu sheep.

Excessive fat deposition in the tail of sheep will affect its feed efficiency, which will increase the feeding cost. The purpose of this study was to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of and genes by PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing, the SNPs were genotyped by KASP genotyping assays to evaluate their association with tail fat deposition traits. The results showed that two intronic mutations of g.

Sheep fecal transplantation affects growth performance in mouse models by altering gut microbiota.

Animal growth traits are important and complex traits that determine the productivity of animal husbandry. There are many factors that affect growth traits, among which diet digestion is the key factor. In the process of animal digestion and absorption, the role of gastrointestinal microbes is essential.