Project description:Copy number variations (CNVs) have been demonstrated as crucial substrates for evolution, adaptation and breed formation. Chinese indigenous cattle breeds exhibit a broad geographical distribution and diverse environmental adaptability. Here, we analyzed the population structure and adaptation to high altitude of Chinese indigenous cattle based on genome-wide CNVs derived from the high-density BovineHD SNP array. We successfully detected the genome-wide CNVs of 318 individuals from 24 Chinese indigenous cattle breeds and 37 yaks as outgroups. A total of 5,818 autosomal CNV regions (683 bp - 4,477,860 bp in size), covering ~14.34% of the bovine genome (UMD3.1), were identified, showing abundant CNV resources. Neighbor-joining clustering, principal component analysis (PCA), and population admixture analysis based on these CNVs support that most Chinese cattle breeds are hybrids of Bos taurus taurus (hereinafter to be referred as Bos taurus) and Bos taurus indicus (Bos indicus). The distribution patterns of the CNVs could to some extent be related to the geographical backgrounds of the habitat of the breeds, and admixture among cattle breeds from different districts. We analyzed the selective signatures of CNVs positively involved in high-altitude adaptation using pairwise Fst analysis within breeds with a strong Bos taurus background (taurine-type breeds) and within Bos taurus×Bos indicus hybrids, respectively. CNV-overlapping genes with strong selection signatures (at top 0.5% of Fst value), including LETM1 (Fst = 0.490), TXNRD2 (Fst=0.440) and STUB1 (Fst=0.420) within taurine-type breeds, and NOXA1 (Fst = 0.233), RUVBL1 (Fst=0.222) and SLC4A3 (Fst=0.154) within hybrids, were potentially involved in the adaptation to hypoxia. Thus, we provide a new profile of population structure from the CNV aspects of Chinese indigenous cattle and new insights into high-altitude adaptation in cattle.
Project description:We present the RNA-seq based transcriptome profile of ventral soft palate tissue from two Indian indigenous breeds (Malnad Gidda and Hallikar; Bos indicus) of cattle and Holstein Friesian (HF) crossbred calves. Differentially expressed gene pattern showed stronger innate immune response in the indigenous calves. We find that induction of innate and cell mediated immune response is associated with early viral clearance and mild form of foot-and-mouth disease.
Project description:Different lactation stages have marked influence on milk yield, milk constituents and nourishment of the neonates. However, the differential gene expression during different lactation stages in Bosindicus has not been investigated so far. In this study, we carried out high-resolution mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics of bovine whey at early, mid and late lactation stages of MalnadGidda (Bosindicus) cows. Using TMT-based quantitative proteomics, we compared the bovine whey proteins on progressive lactation stages of Indian breed, MalnadGidda(Bosindicus). LC-MS/MS analysis of whey peptides from early, mid and late lactation stages resulted in the generation of 420,092 MS/MS spectra and 50,800 peptide spectrum matches, which led to the identification of 4,450 peptides corresponding to 725 proteins. Out of which, 440 proteins were differentially expressed (≥1.5-fold). Gene Ontology studies showed that proteins that regulatemilk composition and mammary growth associated proteins are abundantly expressed during peak lactation stages. Whereas, proteins related to pregnancy and mammary involution are expressed high in late and mid lactation stages indicating the physiological changes in the maternal system of bovine during drying period. Detection of progestagen associated endometrial protein; an immune protein seen in the fetomaternal interface and other pregnancy associated proteins at mid lactation suggest a candidate biomarker for the early pregnancy diagnosis. These results are overlapping with the previous findings addressed in milk from exotic breeds. We strongly believe that this preliminary investigation on differential proteome in milk whey over the course of lactation of indigenous cattle could answer many unsolved questions in lactation biology.
Project description:Mastitis is defined as inflammation of the mammary gland and one of the most serious concerns with regards to milk production and animal health in dairy industry. Indeed, mastitis have marked influence on the milk yield, milk constituents, milk quality and nourishment of the neonates. We performed a comparative proteome analysis of the bovine milk obtained from healthy, sub-clinical and clinical mastitis from Indian indigenous cattle Karan Fries.
Project description:Bovine tropical theileriosis is a major haemoprotozoan disease associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality particularly in exotic and crossbred cattle. It is one of the major constraints for of the livestock development programmes in India and southern Asia. Indigenous cattle (Bos indicus) are less affected by this disease than exotic and crossbred cattle. Genetic basis of resistance to tropical theileriosis in indigenous cattle is not well studied. Recent studies gives an idea that differentially genes expressed in exotic and indigenous breeds play an important role in breed specific resistance to tropical theileriosis. The present study was designed to visualize the global gene expression profiling in PBMCs derived from indigenous (Tharparkar) and crossbred cattle with in vitro infection of T. annulata. T. annulata Parbhani strain, originally isolated from Maharashtra (India) and maintained as cryopreserved stabilates of ground-up tick tissue sporozoite (GUTS) of infected H. anatolicum anatolicum was used as infective material. Two separate microarray experiments were carried out using separately each for crossbred and Tharparkar cattle. The crossbred cattle showed 1082 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Out of total DEGs, 597 genes were downregulated and 485 were upregulated. Their fold change varies from 2283.93 to -4816.02. Tharparkar cattle showed 875 differentially expressed genes. Out of total DEGs in Tharparkar cattle, 451 genes were downregulated and 424 genes were upregulated. Their fold change varies from 94.93 to -19.20. A subset of genes was validated by quantitative RT-PCR and results correlated well with data obtained from the microarrays indicating that the microarray results gave an accurate report of transcript level. Functional annotation study of differentially expressed genes has confirmed their involvement in various pathways including response to oxidative stress, immune system regulation, cell proliferation, cytoskeletal changes, kinases activity and apoptosis. Gene network analysis of these differentially expressed genes provided an effective way to understand the interaction among them. It is therefore, hypothesised that the dissimilar susceptibility to tropical theileriosis exhibited by indigenous and crossbred cattle is due to breed-specific differences in the interaction of infected cells with other immune cells, which ultimately influences the immune response generated against T. annulata infection. Global gene expression profiling in PBMCs derived from indigenous (Tharparkar) and crossbred cattle were studied after in vitro infection of T. annulata Parbhani strain at 2h time period. Two separate microarray experiments were carried out using Bovine (V2) Gene Expression Microarray, 4x44K (Agilent). Two biological replicate samples were profiled per condition (i.e. replicates samples each in crossbred and Tharparkar cattle).
Project description:Genomic structural variation is an important and abundant source of genetic and phenotypic variation. Here we describe the first systematic and genome-wide analysis of copy number variations (CNVs) in modern domesticated cattle using array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH), quantitative PCR (qPCR) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). The array CGH panel included 90 animals from 11 Bos taurus, 3 Bos indicus and 3 composite breeds for beef, dairy or dual purpose. We identified over 200 candidate CNV regions (CNVRs) in total and 177 within known chromosomes, which harbor or are adjacent to gains or losses. These 177 high-confidence CNVRs cover 28.1 mega bases or ~1.07% of the genome. Over 50% of the CNVRs (89/177) were found in multiple animals or breeds and analysis revealed breed-specific frequency differences and reflected aspects of the known ancestry of these cattle breeds. Selected CNVs were further validated by independent methods using qPCR and FISH. Approximately 67% of the CNVRs (119/177) completely or partially span cattle genes and 61% of the CNVRs (108/177) directly overlap with segmental duplications. The CNVRs span about 400 annotated cattle genes that are significantly enriched for specific biological functions such as immunity, lactation, reproduction and rumination. Multiple gene families, including ULBP, have gone through ruminant lineage-specific gene amplification. We detected and confirmed marked differences in their CNV frequencies across diverse breeds, indicating that some cattle CNVs are likely to arise independently in breeds and contribute to breed differences. Our results provide a valuable resource beyond microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms to explore the full dimension of genetic variability for future cattle genomic research.
Project description:An investigation of the polymorphisms in the milk protein genes (CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN1S2, CSN3, LALBA, and LGB) in Beninese indigenous cattle breeds
Project description:Effect of breed in mid lactation Holstein (H) and Montbéliarde (M) cows on mammary glande miRNA profile. Genetic polymorphisms are known to influence milk production and composition. However, genomic mechanisms involved in the genetic regulation of milk component synthesis are not completely understood. MicroRNAs (miRNA) regulate gene expression. The objective of the present study was to compare mammary gland miRNomes of two dairy cow breeds, Holstein and Montbéliarde, with different dairy performances. Milk, fat, protein, and lactose yields were lower in Montbéliarde than in Holstein cows. MiRNomes obtained using RNA-Seq technology from the mammary glands of Holstein (n = 5) and Montbéliarde (n = 6) lactating cows revealed 623 distinct expressed miRNAs, among which 596 were known and 27 were predicted miRNAs. The comparison of their abundance in the mammary gland of Holstein versus Montbéliarde cows showed 22 differentially expressed miRNAs (Padj ≤ 0.05). Among them, 11 presented a fold change ≥2, with 2 highly expressed miRNAs (miR-100 and miR-146b). Without taking into account the fold change, the differential miRNA with the highest abundance was miR-186, which is known to inhibit cell proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Data mining showed that the 17 differentially expressed miRNAs with more than 20 reads on average, regulate mammary gland plasticity and may be related to the observed differences in milk production between Holstein and Montbéliarde, which are two breeds with different mammogenic potential. Some of the 17 miRNAs could potentially target mRNAs involved in signaling pathways (such as mTOR) and in lipid metabolism, thereby suggesting that they could influence milk composition. In conclusion, we showed differences in mammary gland miRNomes of two dairy bovine breeds. These differences suggest a potential role of miRNAs in mammary gland plasticity and in milk component synthesis related to milk production and composition.
Project description:Bovine tropical theileriosis is a major haemoprotozoan disease associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality particularly in exotic and crossbred cattle. It is one of the major constraints for of the livestock development programmes in India and southern Asia. Indigenous cattle (Bos indicus) are less affected by this disease than exotic and crossbred cattle. Genetic basis of resistance to tropical theileriosis in indigenous cattle is not well studied. Recent studies gives an idea that differentially genes expressed in exotic and indigenous breeds play an important role in breed specific resistance to tropical theileriosis. The present study was designed to visualize the global gene expression profiling in PBMCs derived from indigenous (Tharparkar) and crossbred cattle with in vitro infection of T. annulata. T. annulata Parbhani strain, originally isolated from Maharashtra (India) and maintained as cryopreserved stabilates of ground-up tick tissue sporozoite (GUTS) of infected H. anatolicum anatolicum was used as infective material. Two separate microarray experiments were carried out using separately each for crossbred and Tharparkar cattle. The crossbred cattle showed 1082 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Out of total DEGs, 597 genes were downregulated and 485 were upregulated. Their fold change varies from 2283.93 to -4816.02. Tharparkar cattle showed 875 differentially expressed genes. Out of total DEGs in Tharparkar cattle, 451 genes were downregulated and 424 genes were upregulated. Their fold change varies from 94.93 to -19.20. A subset of genes was validated by quantitative RT-PCR and results correlated well with data obtained from the microarrays indicating that the microarray results gave an accurate report of transcript level. Functional annotation study of differentially expressed genes has confirmed their involvement in various pathways including response to oxidative stress, immune system regulation, cell proliferation, cytoskeletal changes, kinases activity and apoptosis. Gene network analysis of these differentially expressed genes provided an effective way to understand the interaction among them. It is therefore, hypothesised that the dissimilar susceptibility to tropical theileriosis exhibited by indigenous and crossbred cattle is due to breed-specific differences in the interaction of infected cells with other immune cells, which ultimately influences the immune response generated against T. annulata infection.
Project description:The concept of milk as a healthy food has opened the way for studies on milk components, from nutrients to microRNAs, molecules with broad regulatory properties present in large quantities in milk. Characterization of these components has been performed in several species, such as humans and bovine, depending on the stages of lactation. Here, we have studied the variation in milk microRNA composition according to genetic background. Using high throughput sequencing, we have characterized and compared the milk miRNomes of Holstein and Normande cattle, dairy breeds with distinct milk production features, in order to highlight microRNAs that are essential for regulation of the lactation process. In Holstein and Normande milk, 2,038 and 2,030 microRNAs were identified, respectively, with 1,771 common microRNAs, of which 1,049 were annotated and 722 were predicted. The comparison of the milk miRNomes of two breeds allowed to highlight 182 microRNAs displaying significant differences in the abundance. They are involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism and mammary morphogenesis and development, which affects lactation. Our results provide new insights into the regulation of molecular mechanisms involved in milk production.