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Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats
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Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2024) | Viewed by 14052

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jiqing Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
Interests: animal breeding; molecular genetics; molecular markers; RNA-seq; non-coding RNA; sheep and goat

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sheep and goats are economically important domestic animals and provide necessary meat, milk, skin, wool, cashmere fibers, etc., for human beings. An in-depth knowledge of the biological mechanisms or the identification of functional genes and non-coding RNAs that control important economic traits offers opportunities to improve quantity and quality in sheep and goats. Meanwhile, the development of breeding technologies also accelerates genetic improvements in these traits. In this Special Issue, we welcome original articles, reviews, and new methodologies covering all aspects of genetics and breeding of sheep and goats. These include, but are not limited to, breeding technologies, crossbreeding strategies, quantitative genetics, genetic association studies, transcriptomics, quantitative genomics, and molecular genetic markers.

Prof. Dr. Jiqing Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sheep and goat
  • animal breeding
  • quantitative trait
  • genetic variation
  • genomics
  • transcriptomics
  • molecular genetic marker
  • quantitative genetics
  • functional gene
  • non-coding RNA

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1675 KiB  
Article
Ovine KRTAP36-2: A New Keratin-Associated Protein Gene Related to Variation in Wool Yield
by Huitong Zhou, Wenhao Li, Lingrong Bai, Jiqing Wang, Yuzhu Luo, Shaobin Li and Jonathan G. H. Hickford
Genes 2023, 14(11), 2045; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14112045 - 6 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1597
Abstract
Keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are structural components of wool fibres. High-glycine/tyrosine (HGT)-KAPs are a subset of the KAP family, and their abundance in fibres varies. In this study, we report the discovery of an ovine HGT-KAP gene to which we assigned the name KRTAP36-2 [...] Read more.
Keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are structural components of wool fibres. High-glycine/tyrosine (HGT)-KAPs are a subset of the KAP family, and their abundance in fibres varies. In this study, we report the discovery of an ovine HGT-KAP gene to which we assigned the name KRTAP36-2. Polymerase chain reaction and single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analyses revealed four variants of this gene in a screening population of 170 sheep from a variety of breeds. The DNA sequencing of the variants revealed four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a dinucleotide deletion. Three of these SNPs were in the coding region, and one of these was non-synonymous and potentially led to the amino acid substitution p.Cys27Gly near the middle of the protein. The remaining SNP was located near the putative TATA box, and the di-nucleotide deletion was near the putative transcription initiation site. The effect of this variation in KRTAP36-2 was investigated in 274 Southdown × Merino lambs that were the progeny of five sires. Variation was only found to be associated with wool yield, that is, the proportion of the greasy fleece that remained as clean fleece upon scouring (expressed as a percentage). This may have some value in increasing wool production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats)
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17 pages, 5235 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Changes in the Global Transcriptome of Postnatal Skeletal Muscle in Different Sheep
by Yue Ai, Yaning Zhu, Linli Wang, Xiaosheng Zhang, Jinlong Zhang, Xianlei Long, Qingyi Gu and Hongbing Han
Genes 2023, 14(6), 1298; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14061298 - 20 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2181
Abstract
Sheep growth performance, mainly skeletal muscle growth, provides direct economic benefits to the animal husbandry industry. However, the underlying genetic mechanisms of different breeds remain unclear. We found that the cross-sectional area (CSA) of skeletal muscle in Dorper (D) and binary cross-breeding (HD) [...] Read more.
Sheep growth performance, mainly skeletal muscle growth, provides direct economic benefits to the animal husbandry industry. However, the underlying genetic mechanisms of different breeds remain unclear. We found that the cross-sectional area (CSA) of skeletal muscle in Dorper (D) and binary cross-breeding (HD) was higher than that in Hu sheep (H) from 3 months to 12 months after birth. The transcriptomic analysis of 42 quadriceps femoris samples showed that a total of 5053 differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified. The differences in the global gene expression patterns, the dynamic transcriptome of skeletal muscle development, and the transcriptome of the transformation of fast and slow muscles were explored using weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and allele-specific expression analysis. Moreover, the gene expression patterns of HD were more similar to D rather than H from 3 months to 12 months, which might be the reason for the difference in muscle growth in the three breeds. Additionally, several genes (GNB2L1, RPL15, DVL1, FBXO31, etc.) were identified as candidates related to skeletal muscle growth. These results should serve as an important resource revealing the molecular basis of muscle growth and development in sheep. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats)
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11 pages, 1124 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Search for Associations with Meat Production Parameters in Karachaevsky Sheep Breed Using the Illumina BeadChip 600 K
by Alexander Krivoruchko, Andrey Likhovid, Anastasiya Kanibolotskaya, Tatiana Saprikina, Elena Safaryan and Olesya Yatsyk
Genes 2023, 14(6), 1288; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14061288 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1951
Abstract
In a group of Karachaevsky rams, a genome-wide associations analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with live parameters of meat production was performed. We used for genotyping the Ovine Infinium HD BeadChip 600 K, which consists of points to detection of 606,000 polymorphisms. [...] Read more.
In a group of Karachaevsky rams, a genome-wide associations analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with live parameters of meat production was performed. We used for genotyping the Ovine Infinium HD BeadChip 600 K, which consists of points to detection of 606,000 polymorphisms. A total of 12 SNPs was found to be significantly associated with live meat quality parameters of the corpus and legs and ultrasonic traits. In this case, 11 candidate genes were described, the polymorphic variants of which can change in sheep body parameters. We found SNPs in the exons, introns, and other regions of some genes and transcripts: CLVS1, EVC2, KIF13B, ENSOART00000000511.1, KCNH5, NEDD4, LUZP2, MREG, KRT20, KRT23 and FZD6. The described genes involved in the metabolic pathways of cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis are connected with the regulation of the gastrointestinal, immune and nervous systems. In known productivity genes (MSTN, MEF2B, FABP4, etc.), loci were not found to be a significant presence of influence on the meat productivity of the Karachaevsky sheep phenotypes. Our study confirms the possible involvement of the identified candidate genes in the formation of the phenotypes of productivity traits in sheep and indicates the need for new research into candidate genes structure in point to detect their polymorphisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats)
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16 pages, 4125 KiB  
Article
TMT-Based Comparative Proteomic Analysis of the Spermatozoa of Buck (Capra hircus) and Ram (Ovis aries)
by Chunhuan Ren, Yale Chen, Jun Tang, Penghui Wang, Yan Zhang, Chunyan Li, Zijun Zhang and Xiao Cheng
Genes 2023, 14(5), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14050973 - 25 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2110
Abstract
Spermatozoa are unique cells that carry a library of proteins that regulate the functions of molecules to achieve functional capabilities. Currently, large amounts of protein have been identified in spermatozoa from different species using proteomic approaches. However, the proteome characteristics and regulatory mechanisms [...] Read more.
Spermatozoa are unique cells that carry a library of proteins that regulate the functions of molecules to achieve functional capabilities. Currently, large amounts of protein have been identified in spermatozoa from different species using proteomic approaches. However, the proteome characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of spermatozoa in bucks versus rams have not been fully unraveled. In this study, we performed a tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled quantitative proteomic analysis to investigate the protein profiles in the spermatozoa of buck (Capra hircus) and ram (Ovis aries), two important economic livestock species with different fertility potentials. Overall, 2644 proteins were identified and quantified via this approach. Thus, 279 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were filtered with a p-value < 0.05, and a quantitative ratio of >2.0 or <0.5 (fold change, FC) in bucks versus rams, wherein 153 were upregulated and 126 were downregulated. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that these DAPs were mainly localized in the mitochondria, extracellular and in the nucleus, and were involved in sperm motility, membrane components, oxidoreductase activity, endopeptidase complex and proteasome-mediated ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolism. Specifically, partial DAPs, such as heat shock protein 90 α family class a member 1 (HSP90AA1), adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase (ACLY), proteasome 26S subunit and non-ATPase 4 (PSMD4), act as “cross-talk” nodes in protein–protein networks as key intermediates or enzymes, which are mainly involved in responses to stimuli, catalytic activity and molecular function regulator pathways that are strictly related to spermatozoa function. The results of our study offer valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of ram spermatozoa function, and also promote an efficient spermatozoa utilization link to fertility or specific biotechnologies for bucks and rams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats)
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13 pages, 3318 KiB  
Article
Estimates of Genomic Heritability and the Marker-Derived Gene for Re(Production) Traits in Xinggao Sheep
by Zaixia Liu, Shaoyin Fu, Xiaolong He, Xuewen Liu, Caixia Shi, Lingli Dai, Biao Wang, Yuan Chai, Yongbin Liu and Wenguang Zhang
Genes 2023, 14(3), 579; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14030579 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2441
Abstract
Xinggao sheep are a breed of Chinese domestic sheep that are adapted to the extremely cold climatic features of the Hinggan League in China. The economically vital reproductive trait of ewes (litter size, LS) and productive traits of lambs (birth weight, BWT; weaning [...] Read more.
Xinggao sheep are a breed of Chinese domestic sheep that are adapted to the extremely cold climatic features of the Hinggan League in China. The economically vital reproductive trait of ewes (litter size, LS) and productive traits of lambs (birth weight, BWT; weaning weight, WWT; and average daily gain, ADG) are expressed in females and later in life after most of the selection decisions have been made. This study estimated the genetic parameters for four traits to explore the genetic mechanisms underlying the variation, and we performed genome-wide association study (GWAS) tests on a small sample size to identify novel marker trait associations (MTAs) associated with prolificacy and growth. We detected two suggestive significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with LS and eight significant SNPs for BWT, WWT, and ADG. These candidate loci and genes also provide valuable information for further fine-mapping of QTLs and improvement of reproductive and productive traits in sheep. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats)
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12 pages, 1776 KiB  
Article
The Identification and Characteristics of miRNAs Related to Cashmere Fiber Traits in Skin Tissue of Cashmere Goats
by Lirong Qiao, Yuanhua Gu, Shiwei Guo, Shiqiang Li, Jiqing Wang, Zhiyun Hao, Yuzhu Luo, Xiu Liu, Shaobin Li, Fangfang Zhao and Mingna Li
Genes 2023, 14(2), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14020473 - 12 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1874
Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of biological phenomena by down-regulating the expression of mRNAs. In this study, Liaoning cashmere (LC) goats (n = 6) and Ziwuling black (ZB) goats (n = 6) with different cashmere fiber production performances were [...] Read more.
microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of biological phenomena by down-regulating the expression of mRNAs. In this study, Liaoning cashmere (LC) goats (n = 6) and Ziwuling black (ZB) goats (n = 6) with different cashmere fiber production performances were selected. We supposed that miRNAs are responsible for the cashmere fiber trait differences. To test the hypothesis, the expression profiles of miRNAs from the skin tissue of the two caprine breeds were compared using small RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). A total of 1293 miRNAs were expressed in the caprine skin samples, including 399 known caprine miRNAs, 691 known species-conserved miRNAs, and 203 novel miRNAs. Compared with ZB goats, 112 up-regulated miRNAs, and 32 down-regulated miRNAs were found in LC goats. The target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs were remarkably concentrated on some terms and pathways associated with cashmere fiber performance, including binding, cell, cellular protein modification process, and Wnt, Notch, and MAPK signaling pathways. The miRNA-mRNA interaction network found that 14 miRNAs selected may contribute to cashmere fiber traits regulation by targeting functional genes associated with hair follicle activities. The results have reinforced others leading to a solid foundation for further investigation of the influences of individual miRNAs on cashmere fiber traits in cashmere goats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Sheep and Goats)
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