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:Comparative microarray analysis of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus expression profiles of larvae pre-attachment and feeding adult female stages on Bos indicus and B. taurus cattle Global analysis of gene expression changes in R. microplus during larval, pre-attachment and early adult stages of its life cycle feeding on Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle were compared using gene expression microarray analysis. Among the 13 601 R. microplus transcripts from BmiGI Version 2 we identified 297 up and 17 down regulated transcripts were differentially expressed between R. microplus feeding on tick resistant cattle [Bos indicus (Brahman)] compared to R. microplus feeding on tick susceptible cattle [Bos taurus (Holstein-Friesian)]. These include genes encoding enzymes involved in primary metabolism, and genes related to stress, defence, cell wall modification, cellular signaling, receptor and cuticle. Microarrays were validated by qRT-PCR analysis of selected transcripts including the validation of three housekeeping genes. The analysis of all tick stages under survey suggested a coordinated regulation of defence proteins, proteases, and protease inhibitors to achieve successful attachment and survival of R. microplus on different host breeds particularly Bos indicus cattle.
Project description:Beef tenderness is a complex trait of economic importance for the beef industry. Understanding the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying this trait may help improve the accuracy of breeding programs and deliver a better product quality to consumers. However, little is known about epigenetic effects in the muscle of Bos taurus and their implications in tenderness, and no studies have been conducted in Bos indicus. Therefore, we analyzed Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS) to search for differences in the methylation profile of Bos indicus skeletal muscle with extreme values for beef tenderness (tender = 6 animals, tough = 6 animals).
