Project description:Here, we analyzed and identified the miRNA expression profile of three different intestinal tissues (i.e., duodenum, cecum, and colon) of sheep (Ovis aries) using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic methods. In total, 128 known miRNAs were identified, 526 novel miRNAs were predicted, and 202 differentially expressed miRNAs were found between the different tissues. Additionally, 4,422 candidate target genes were predicted, and 185 non-redundant GO annotation terms were identified using enrichment analysis. A total of 529 target genes were found to participate in 37 KEGG biological pathways, and 270 of these genes were significantly enriched in the metabolism category.
Project description:Tail fat in sheep (Ovis aries), has evolved mainly in response to cold weather for better energy storage. As things stand, too much tail fat in sheep can lead to a reduction in feed utilisation and is also unpopular with consumers due to the excessive fat content in the tail of sheep. Therefore, the need to find the mechanism of tail fat formation is obvious. In this study, we elected to utilise Kazakh sheep, prolific Suffolk sheep, and their hybrid F2 generation as research objects. Sheep transcriptome sequencing technology was employed to screen and explore target candidate genes related to sheep tail fat deposition. Comparison with RNA-seq data from fat-tailed and thin-tailed tissue, the LncRNA-mRNA-miRNA axis was identified as main functional pathway in the formation of fat in tail. Our results offer valuable insights into the fat deposition of sheep and provide a significant genomic resource for future genetic studies and the enhancement of genome-assisted breeding in sheep and other domestic animals.
Project description:the hypothalamus tissues of high-reproduction small-tailed Han sheep and low-reproduction Wadi sheep were collected, and full-length transcriptome sequencing by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) was performed to explore the key functional genes associated with sheep fecundity. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened and enriched using DESeq2 software through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG).
Project description:Here we present a high-density in situ synthesized microarray for Ovis aries, named Aristaeus, designed by means of a pipeline of software instruments that, starting from non-annotated redundant EST sequences, selects oligonucleotides suitable for in situ generation on chip. The chip was tested by comparing the gene expression profiles of two sheep breeds with different phenotype, Sarda and Gentile di Puglia. We carried out microarray experiments on liver and udder tissues from lactating individuals and identified a relevant number of differentially expressed genes, all involved in metabolism pathways. The results are consistent with literature knowledge, while selected differential gene expressions have been confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. Tissue samples of liver were collected from 4 lactating individuals of two sheep (Ovis aries) breeds, Gentile di Puglia and Sarda. Biopsies of liver tissue were taken at second lactation stage (first record, stage 01: 6 days after lambing; second record, stage 02: 44 days after lambing) in both breeds. Tissues from liver were immersed in RNAlater (Sigma) immediately after biopsy and stored at -20°C. Samples were pooled by breed and then reverse labeled (cy5 and cy3), resulting in four raw data sets.