Project description:Microbiome DNA from the adhering fraction of a sheep rumen. The RSTs were generated using an improved version of SARST (referred to as iSARST) from the microbiome DNA extracted from the adhering fraction of the rumen content taken from a sheep. The iSARST method is going to be submitted to Nature Biotechnology for publication. Keywords: other
Project description:Microbiome DNA from the adhering fraction of a sheep rumen. The RSTs were generated using an improved version of SARST (referred to as iSARST) from the microbiome DNA extracted from the adhering fraction of the rumen content taken from a sheep. The iSARST method is going to be submitted to Nature Biotechnology for publication. Keywords: other
Project description:The sheep (Ovis aries) plays a major socio-economic role in the world. Copy number variations (CNVs) are increasingly recognized as a key and potent source of genetic variation and phenotypic diversity, but little is known about the extent to which CNVs contribute to genetic variation in Chinese sheep breeds. Analyses of CNVs in the genomes of eight sheep breeds were performed using the sheep SNP50 BeadChip genotyping array. A total of 111 CNV regions (CNVRs) were obtained from 160 Chinese sheep breeds. These CNVRs covered 13.75 Mb of the sheep genome sequence. A total of 22 Go terms and 17 candidate genes were obtained from the functional analysis. Ten CNVRs were selected for validation, of which 7 CNVRs were further experimentally confirmed by quantitative PCR. Four candidate genes were selected to confirm the results of the functional analysis. These results provide a resource for furthering understanding of ruminant biology, and for further improving the genetic quality of sheep breeds.
Project description:A healthy rumen is crucial for normal growth and improved production performance of ruminant animals. Rumen microbes participate in and regulate rumen epithelial function, and the diverse metabolites produced by rumen microbes are important participants in rumen microbe-host interactions. SCFAs, as metabolites of rumen microbes, have been widely studied, and propionate and butyrate have been proven to promote rumen epithelial cell proliferation. Succinate, as an intermediate metabolite in the citric acid cycle, is a final product in the metabolism of certain rumen microbes, and is also an intermediate product in the microbial synthesis pathway of propionate. However, its effect on rumen microbes and rumen epithelial function has not been studied. It is unclear whether succinate can stimulate rumen epithelial development. Therefore, in this experiment, Chinese Tan sheep were used as experimental animals to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the rumen microbiota community structure and rumen epithelial transcriptome, to explore the role of adding succinate to the diet in the interaction between the rumen microbiota and host.
Project description:Milk and dairy products are an essential food and an economic resource in many countries. Milk component synthesis and secretion by the mammary gland involve expression of a large number of genes whose nutritional regulation remains poorly defined. We aim at understanding the genomic influence on milk quality and synthesis by comparing two sheep breeds, with different milking attitude, Sarda and Gentile di Puglia, using sheep-specific microarray technology. From sheep ESTs deposited at NCBI, we generated the first annotated microarray developed for sheep with a covering of most of the genome. Whole tissue samples of mammary gland were collected from 4 lactating individuals of two sheep (Ovis aries) breeds, Gentile di Puglia and Sarda. Biopsies of lactating mammary tissue were taken at two lactation stages (first record, stage 01: 6 days after lambing; second record, stage 02: 44 days after lambing) in both breeds. Tissues from mammary gland were immersed in RNAlater (Sigma) immediately after biopsy and stored at -20°C.