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:While cold stress has been shown to seriously impact cattle industry, there are only a few reports investigating the effect of cold stress on cattle. Whether severe cold stress results in alterations in gene expression and affects molecular genetic mechanisms remains unknown. We used microarrays to analyze the alterations in gene expression in peripheral blood samples in response to cold exposure and identified differentially regulated genes. This study was performed on 30 healthy Sanhe heifers with similar genetic backgrounds, weight, and age. In order to induce cold stress, the cattle were transferred outdoor and were exposed to a temperature of -32°C for 3 hours followed by housing in cowshed at 5°C for 15 hours. Blood samples with EDTA were collected from each animal before and after the cold exposure. After total RNA was isolated from blood cells, six RNA samples (three derived before and three after the cold exposure), were collected from three animals randomly selected from the 30 healthy heifers for gene expression profiling in response to severe cold stress.
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.