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Animals
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Transcriptomics in Livestock: Unveiling Genetic Insights for Enhanced Productivity and...
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Transcriptomics in Livestock: Unveiling Genetic Insights for Enhanced Productivity and Health

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2308

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jun-Mo Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab., Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Interests: quantitative genetics; functional genomics; system biology; bioinformatics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Byeonghwi Lim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab., Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: immunogenomics; transcriptomics
Dr. Seung-Hoon Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab., Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: animal genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transcriptomics, the study of RNA transcripts, has revolutionized our understanding of genetic expression in livestock. By mapping out the complex web of gene activity, researchers can identify key genetic factors that influence productivity and health in farm animals. This field is crucial as it provides insights into improving livestock traits such as growth rates, disease resistance, and overall well-being, which are essential for sustainable agriculture and food security. The following Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews that advance our understanding of transcriptomics in livestock. The focus is on uncovering genetic insights that can be directly applied to enhance productivity and health in various livestock species. By providing a platform for the latest findings, we hope to foster collaborations and drive innovations in livestock genomics. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Gene expression profiling in different livestock species;
  • The identification of biomarkers for disease resistance and health;
  • Transcriptomic responses to environmental stressors;
  • Comparative transcriptomics across breeds;
  • Functional genomics and gene regulation;
  • The integration of transcriptomics with other 'omics' technologies;
  • The applications of transcriptomics in breeding programs.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jun-Mo Kim
Dr. Byeonghwi Lim
Dr. Seung-Hoon Lee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transcriptomics
  • RNA-seq
  • gene expression
  • functional genomics
  • gene regulation
  • genomic technologies
  • livestock
  • health
  • productivity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7293 KiB  
Article
Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Between High- and Low-Growth-Rate Meat-Type Rabbits Reveals Key Pathways Associated with Muscle Development
by Chao Yang, Lingxi Zhu, Li Tang, Xiangyu Zhang, Min Lei, Xiaohong Xie, Cuixia Zhang, Dingsheng Yuan, Congyan Li and Ming Zhang
Animals 2025, 15(11), 1585; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15111585 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 243
Abstract
Rabbit meat constitutes a high-protein, low-fat nutritional resource demonstrating rising consumption, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region. Consequently, muscle growth and developmental pattern in meat rabbits represent critical economic considerations. To elucidate the primary signaling pathways governing muscle development, we first performed comparative body [...] Read more.
Rabbit meat constitutes a high-protein, low-fat nutritional resource demonstrating rising consumption, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region. Consequently, muscle growth and developmental pattern in meat rabbits represent critical economic considerations. To elucidate the primary signaling pathways governing muscle development, we first performed comparative body weight analyses between two rabbit breeds exhibiting divergent growth rates: the fast-growing Checkered Giant (Ju) and slow-growing Sichuan Ma rabbit. Subsequent, post-natal qualities of thigh and longissimus dorsi muscle fiber were quantified across three developmental phases (28, 56, and 84 days post-natal). The results showed the body weight of Ju rabbit was significantly higher than that of Ma rabbit beyond 3 weeks post-natal (p < 0.05), while Ma rabbit exhibited larger muscle fiber areas in both tissues at 56 days (p < 0.05). The transcriptome analysis showed that 284 and 305 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (|log2FC| > 1, padj < 0.05) were identified in thigh muscle and longissimus dorsi muscle, respectively. GO (Gene Ontology) analysis of DEGs indicated DEGs in the thigh muscle were enriched in these terms related to biological processes of muscle cell migration and smooth muscle cell migration, cellular components of sarcomere, myofibril, and actin filament bundle, while DEGs in longissimus dorsi muscle were enriched in these terms associated with biological processes of muscle cell migration, smooth muscle cell migration and muscle structure development, cellular component of actin cytoskeleton, contractile fiber, myofibril, myosin complex and molecular function of actin filament binding. Integrated GO, KEGG and PPI analyses of co-expressive DEGs implicated the HIF-1 signaling pathway and Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis in muscular development. Different expression of energy metabolism hub-genes might be the primary reason for interbreed muscle developmental disparities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transcriptomics in Livestock: Unveiling Genetic Insights for Enhanced Productivity and Health)
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16 pages, 769 KiB  
Article
Expression of Genes Related to Meat Productivity, Metabolic and Morphological Significance of Broiler Chickens with the Use of Nutritional Phytochemicals
by Marina I. Selionova, Vladimir I. Trukhachev, Artem Yu. Zagarin, Egor I. Kulikov, Dmitry M. Dmitrenko, Vera N. Martynova, Arina K. Kravchenko and Vladimir G. Vertiprakhov
Animals 2024, 14(20), 2958; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14202958 - 14 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1513
Abstract
The study aimed to analyze gene expression linked to skeletal muscle growth and lipid metabolism in broiler chickens fed with plant extracts. Five groups of chickens were formed: four experimental groups and one control group. The diets of the experimental groups were supplemented [...] Read more.
The study aimed to analyze gene expression linked to skeletal muscle growth and lipid metabolism in broiler chickens fed with plant extracts. Five groups of chickens were formed: four experimental groups and one control group. The diets of the experimental groups were supplemented with different plant extracts: chicory, St. John’s wort, maral root, and creeping thyme, whereas the control group received feed without phytobiotic compounds. Weekly weighings were conducted (n = 36). The chickens were slaughtered at day 26 for tissue sampling of four birds from each group. Gene expression (MYOG, MSTN, FASN) related to muscle growth and fatty acid synthesis was analyzed using the β-actin ACTB gene as a reference. Blood samples were taken at day 35 for biochemical analysis and anatomical dissection was performed. The study revealed that using plant extracts from chicory, thyme, and maral root increased MYOG gene activity by 4.21, 7.45, and 8.93 times, respectively. T. serpyllum extract boosted the MSTN gene by 10.93 times, impacting muscle growth regulation. FASN gene expression for fatty acid synthesis increased significantly by 18.22–184.12 times with plant extracts. The best results regarding meat productivity of chickens were obtained when using R. carthamoides extract. The results of the study will serve as a basis for further development of a phytocomposition designed to increase the meat productivity of broiler chickens in the production of environmentally safe poultry products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transcriptomics in Livestock: Unveiling Genetic Insights for Enhanced Productivity and Health)
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