Project description:Transcriptome profiling revealed that key rumen epithelium functions change in relation to short-chain fatty acids and rumen epithelium-attached microbiota during the weaning transition
Project description:Heat stress is a critical environmental factor that adversely affects the health and productivity of cattle. It leads to substantial declines in productivity and compromises immune function, thereby increasing susceptibility to disease. Crossbred cattle (Bos indicus × Bos taurus) are known for their enhanced productivity. However, they are relatively vulnerable to environmental stressors. In recent years, the intensification of global warming and associated climatic extremes has further heightened their risk of heat stress. In this context, the present study investigated the underlying biological responses to heat stress through genome-wide expression analysis in Vrindavani crossbred cattle. The results identified sets of genes activated during heat stress and subsequent functional characterization revealed key molecular mechanisms of thermal stress response in these animals.
Project description:Comprehensive analyses of tissues at single-cell level will benefit our understanding of genetic bases for complex traits. Here we present an initial effort of single-cell transcriptomic analyses of cattle ruminal epithelial cells during the rumen development. We obtained 5064 and 1372 cells from Holstein ruminal epithelial cells before and after weaning, respectively. We reported 6 cell types across their temporal and spatial distributions, which were partially correlated with rumen epithelium layer’s structures and functions. We also reported a distinct sets of cell markers for these cell types, for example, CRA1, HMMR, MKI67, and EZH2 for the dividing epithelial cells and the TGFB pathway and the keratin gene family for keratinized epithelial cells. Our proposed a cell lineage model may contribute to the understanding of cattle rumen epithelial proliferation and development.
Project description:Effects of dietary forage and calf starter on ruminal pH and transcriptomic adaptation of the rumen epithelium in Holstein calves during the weaning transition
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in rumen epithelium of dairy cattle at different stages of rumen development and on different diets.
Project description:We assessed the transcriptomic adaptation of the calf rumen epithelium to changes in ruminal pH caused by feeding calf starter with and without forage during weaning transition.
Project description:The Gayal (Bos frontalis) is a rare semi-domesticated cattle in China. Gayal has typical beef body shape and good meat production performance. Compared with other cattle species, it has the characteristics of tender meat and extremely low fat content. To explore the underlying mechanism responsible for the differences of meat quality between different breeds, the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) from Gayal and Banna cattle (Bos taurus) were investigated using transcriptome analysis. The gene expression profiling identified 638 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LM muscles from Gayal and Banna cattle. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment of biological functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that the gene products were mainly involved in the PPAR signaling pathway, lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism pathway. Protein-protein interaction（PPI） network analysis showed APOB, CYP7A1, THBS2, ITGAV, IGFBP1 and IGF2R may have great impact on meat quality characteristics of Gayal. Moreover, three transcription factors, FOXA2, NEUROG2, and RUNX1, which may affect meat quality by regulating the expression of genes related to muscle growth and development have also been found. In summary, our research reveals the molecular mechanisms that cause Gayal meat quality characteristics. It will contribute to improving meat quality of cattle through molecular breeding.
Project description:We assessed the transcriptomic adaptation of the calf rumen epithelium to changes in ruminal pH caused by feeding calf starter with and without forage during weaning transition. The calves were divided into a gorage provision group (HAY group, n = 3) and forage non-provision group (CON group, n = 4) 3 weeks after weaning.
