Transcriptomic Analysis of Skin Tissue Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of Thermal Adaptation in Cold-Exposed Lambs.

ABSTRACT: Cold stress impacts lamb mortality, welfare, and productivity. Wool and skin insulate lambs, but the mechanisms underlying their response to colder environments remain unclear. Shorn lambs (n = 20) of similar age (8 months), of the Hulunbuir (n = 10; average 34.5 ± 0.70 kg) and Hu (n = 10; average 34.9 ± 0.79 kg) breeds, were raised at the Ecological and Agricultural Experimental Station, Gaolan, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China (36°13″ N, 103°47″ E), at an altitude of 1780 m above sea level. These lambs were divided into four equal groups: Hulunbuir at -20 °C (HB-20), Hulunbuir at 15 °C (HB+15), Hu at -20 °C (HU-20), and Hu at 15 °C (HU+15). The groups were maintained at these temperatures in temperature-controlled facilities for 38 days. Skin tissues were a

SUBMITTER: Feng M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12108302 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature