Transcriptional changes in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and mammary gland underlying decreased lactation performance in mice under heat stress.

ABSTRACT: Because of climate change, heat stress (HS) causes more and more impacts on dairy animals to decrease lactation performance. The neuroendocrine system is key in regulating systemic physiological processes and milk synthesis. However, the hypothalamic-pituitary axis response to HS is still unclear. In this study, a group of lactating mice underwent a daily 2-h heat treatment (36°C) for 14 d to explore possible cross-talk between the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and mammary gland under HS. Transcriptome analyses by multitissue RNA-Seq indicated the possible mechanisms of reduced lactation performance in animals under HS. In the hypothalamus, the cAMP signaling pathway was activated to resist neuronal death, and the expression of downstream genes was increased to promote cell survival under HS

SUBMITTER: Han J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6902726 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature