Project description:Bene expression profile of Angus bovine testis tissue at 2, 4 and 8 weeks of age using Affymetrix Bovine GeneChip Experiment Overall Design: Samples obtained from Angus bull calves at 2, 4 and 8 weeks of age. Two replicates at each age, 6 total samples.
Project description:The incidence of sub-fertility is higher in crossbred bulls compared to zebu bulls. In the present study, we analysed the metabolomic profile of seminal plasma from crossbred and zebu bulls and uncovered differentially expressed metabolites between these two breeds. Using a high-throughput LC-MS/MS-based approach, we identified 990 and 1,002 metabolites in crossbred and zebu bull seminal plasma respectively. After excluding the exogenous metabolites, we found that 50 and 68 putative metabolites were unique to crossbred and zebu bull seminal plasma, respectively, whilst 87 metabolites were common to both. After data normalisation, 63 metabolites were found to be dysregulated between crossbred and zebu bull seminal plasma. Observed pathways included Linoleic acid metabolism (observed metabolite was phosphatidylcholine) in crossbred bull seminal plasma whereas inositol phosphate metabolism (observed metabolites were phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate/inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate/myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) was observed in zebu bull seminal plasma. Abundance of Tetradecanoyl-CoA was significantly higher, whilst abundance of Taurine was significantly lower in crossbred bull seminal plasma. In conclusion, the present study established the seminal plasma metabolomic profile in crossbred and zebu bulls and suggest that increased lipid peroxidation coupled with low concentrations of antioxidants in seminal plasma might be associated with high incidence of sub-fertility in crossbred bulls.
Project description:Exposure to intrauterine heat stress during late gestation affects offspring performance into adulthood. However, underlying mechanistic links between thermal insult in fetal life and postnatal outcomes are not completely understood. Utilizing Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing, this study evaluated DNA methylation of liver and mammary gland of bull calves and heifers that were gestated under maternal conditions of heat stress or cooling, i.e., in utero heat stressed (HT) vs. in utero cooled (CL). Liver samples from bull calves (CT = 5 and HT = 4) were collected at birth while mammary gland samples from heifers (CT = 3 and HT = 3) were collected during their first lactation.
Project description:Wandong cattle are an autochthonous Chinese breed used extensively for beef production. The breed tolerates extreme weather conditions and raw feed and are resistant to tick-borne diseases. However, the genetic basis of testis development and sperm production as well as breeding management is not well established in local cattle. In this study, we performed total RNA-Seq and comprehensively analyzed the circ-RNA expression profiling of the testes samples of six bulls at 3 years and 3 months of developmental age. In total, 17 013 circ-RNAs were identified, of which 681 circRNAs (P-adjust < 0.05) were differentially expressed (DE). Among these DE circ-RNAs, 579 were upregulated and 103 were downregulated in calf and bull testes. The Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the identified target genes were classified into three broad functional categories, including biological process, cellular component, and molecular function, and were enriched in the lysine degradation, cell cycle, and cell adhesion molecule pathways.
Project description:Enhanced nutrition during the early calfhood period has been shown to hasten the onset of puberty in bull calves. The hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian biochemical signalling axis regulates reproductive development in bulls, with the dynamics of gonadotropin pulsatility within the anterior pituitary gland, in particular, central to final sexual maturity. However, the precise molecular mechanisms regulating the influence of metabolic status on this signalling axis in bull calves is yet to be fully elucidated. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of an enhanced plane of nutrition during early life, up to 12 weeks of age, on the anterior pituitary gland proteome of bull calves. Bull calves were offered either a high or moderate plane of nutrition.
Project description:Enhanced nutrition during the early calfhood period has been shown to hasten the onset of puberty in bull calves. The hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian biochemical signalling axis regulates reproductive development in bulls, with the dynamics of the arcuate nucleus region of the hypothalamus, in particular, central to mediating the relationship between metabolic status with reproductive development. However, the precise molecular mechanisms regulating the influence of metabolic status on this signalling axis in bull calves is yet to be fully elucidated. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of an enhanced plane of nutrition during early life, up to 12 weeks of age, on the proteomic profile of the arcuate nucleus of bull calves. Bull calves were offered either a high or moderate plane of nutrition.