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Advances in Sheep Molecular Genetics and Breeding
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Advances in Sheep Molecular Genetics and Breeding

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 7481

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Qiuyue Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, the Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: indigenous sheep breeds; reproductive/growth traits; single nucleotide polymorphisms; whole genome sequencing; intensive indoor sheep breeding operation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ran Di

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: sheep; goats; reproductive traits; molecular mechanism; genetic markers; diversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sheep is one of the earliest domesticated animal species. Since being domesticated, it has provided meat and milk with high-quality protein and useful accessory products (wool and skin) for humans. Therefore, sheep was important for the development of global animal husbandry and promoted the spread of human farming civilization. The publication of the accurate sheep reference genome (ARS-UI_Ramb_v2.0) and the rapid development of modern molecular biology technology have enabled us to reveal the complicated molecular mechanisms of important traits in sheep. That research on the molecular mechanisms of important economic traits and diseases in sheep is very necessary for the breeding of high-yield and high-quality new breeds as well as the current breeds. Using conventional breeding methods (or combined with effective molecular markers), many excellent sheep breeds have been bred worldwide, such as Dorper, Australian White Sheep, White Suffolk, Texel, German Merino, Dorset, Lacaune, and East Friesian. With the rapid development of genome selection (GS) technology, the selection and breeding of sheep will also make faster progress. Based on this, we hope that this Special Issue will focus on the research progress on the molecular mechanisms of important traits in sheep and the latest developments in the breeding of new sheep breeds or the usage of GS in sheep, in order to timely share useful information with sheep researchers and enterprises.

Research papers and reviews will focus on, but are not limited to, studies on the molecular mechanisms of morphology, body size, coat color, wool, reproduction (litter size, seasonal reproduction, number of nipples, puberty, reproductive performance of ram), growth (daily gain and feed conversion rate, etc.) and production (mutton and milk) traits, the quality of mutton and milk, inherited diseases in sheep, and the latest developments in the molecular breeding of new sheep breeds or the usage of GS in sheep.

Dr. Qiuyue Liu
Dr. Ran Di
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sheep
  • molecular mechanism
  • molecular breeding
  • morphology
  • reproduction traits
  • growth and production traits
  • quality of mutton and milk
  • inherited disease
  • genome selection breeding

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3262 KiB  
Article
Effect of CUX1 on the Proliferation of Hu Sheep Dermal Papilla Cells and on the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway
by Hui Zhou, Sainan Huang, Xiaoyang Lv, Shanhe Wang, Xiukai Cao, Zehu Yuan, Tesfaye Getachew, Joram M. Mwacharo, Aynalem Haile, Kai Quan, Yutao Li, Antonio Reverter and Wei Sun
Genes 2023, 14(2), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14020423 - 07 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1453
Abstract
CUT-like homeobox 1 protein (CUX1), also called CUX, CUTL1, and CDP, is a member of the DNA-binding protein homology family. Studies have shown that CUX1 is a transcription factor that plays an important role in the growth and development of hair follicles. The [...] Read more.
CUT-like homeobox 1 protein (CUX1), also called CUX, CUTL1, and CDP, is a member of the DNA-binding protein homology family. Studies have shown that CUX1 is a transcription factor that plays an important role in the growth and development of hair follicles. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CUX1 on the proliferation of Hu sheep dermal papilla cells (DPCs) to reveal the role of CUX1 in hair follicle growth and development. First, the coding sequence (CDS) of CUX1 was amplified by PCR, and then CUX1 was overexpressed and knocked down in DPCs. A Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU), and cell cycle assays were used to detect the changes in the proliferation and cell cycle of DPCs. Finally, the effects of overexpression and knockdown of CUX1 in DPCs on the expression of WNT10, MMP7, C-JUN, and other key genes in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were detected by RT-qPCR. The results showed that the 2034-bp CDS of CUX1 was successfully amplified. Overexpression of CUX1 enhanced the proliferative state of DPCs, significantly increased the number of S-phase cells, and decreased the number of G0/G1-phase cells (p < 0.05). CUX1 knockdown had the opposite effects. It was found that the expression of MMP7, CCND1 (both p < 0.05), PPARD, and FOSL1 (both p < 0.01) increased significantly after overexpression of CUX1 in DPCs, while the expression of CTNNB1 (p < 0.05), C-JUN, PPARD, CCND1, and FOSL1 (all p < 0.01) decreased significantly. In conclusion, CUX1 promotes proliferation of DPCs and affects the expression of key genes of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The present study provides a theoretical basis to elucidate the mechanism underlying hair follicle development and lambskin curl pattern formation in Hu sheep. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sheep Molecular Genetics and Breeding)
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14 pages, 699 KiB  
Article
Lentivirus Susceptibility in Brazilian and US Sheep with TMEM154 Mutations
by Camila Souza Rodrigues, Danielle Assis de Faria, Thaísa Sant’Anna Lacerda, Samuel Rezende Paiva, Alexandre Rodrigues Caetano, Harvey Blackburn and Concepta McManus
Genes 2023, 14(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14010070 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1518
Abstract
Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) affect sheep and goats worldwide. The major gene related to SRLV infections is the Transmembrane Protein Gene 154 (TMEM154). We estimated the haplotype frequencies of TMEM154 in the USA (USDA-ARS) and Brazil (Embrapa) Gene Banks by using [...] Read more.
Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) affect sheep and goats worldwide. The major gene related to SRLV infections is the Transmembrane Protein Gene 154 (TMEM154). We estimated the haplotype frequencies of TMEM154 in the USA (USDA-ARS) and Brazil (Embrapa) Gene Banks by using two different SNP genotyping methodologies, FluidigmTM and KASPTM. We also genotyped the ZNF389_ss748775100 deletion variant in Brazilian flocks. A total of 1040 blood samples and 112 semen samples from 15 Brazilian breeds were genotyped with Fluidigm for the SNP ZNF389_ss748775100 and 12 TMEM154 SNPs. A total of 484 blood samples from the Santa Inês breed and 188 semen samples from 14 North American sheep breeds were genotyped with KASP for 6 TMEM154 SNPs. All the Brazilian samples had the “I/I” genotype for the ZNF389_ss748775100 mutation. There were 25 TMEM154 haplotypes distributed across the Brazilian breeds, and 4 haplotypes in the US breeds. Haplotypes associated with susceptibility were present in almost all breeds, which suggests that genetic testing can help to improve herd health and productivity by selecting non-susceptible animals as founders of the next generations. Fluidigm and KASP are reliable assays when compared with Beadchip arrays. Further studies are necessary to understand the unknown role of TMEM154 mutations, host–pathogen interaction and new genes associated with the clinical condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sheep Molecular Genetics and Breeding)
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11 pages, 1258 KiB  
Article
Runs of Homozygosity Revealed Reproductive Traits of Hu Sheep
by Yuzhe Li, Zitao Chen, Yifei Fang, Caiyun Cao, Zhe Zhang, Yuchun Pan and Qishan Wang
Genes 2022, 13(10), 1848; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13101848 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2344
Abstract
Hu sheep, a famous breed in the Taihu Basin, has the advantages of non-seasonal estrus, multiple fetuses, coarse feeding tolerance, and suitability for house feeding. Runs of homozygosity (ROHs) were found to be an effective tool to detect the animal population structure and [...] Read more.
Hu sheep, a famous breed in the Taihu Basin, has the advantages of non-seasonal estrus, multiple fetuses, coarse feeding tolerance, and suitability for house feeding. Runs of homozygosity (ROHs) were found to be an effective tool to detect the animal population structure and economic traits. The detection of ROHs is beneficial for reducing the incidence of inbreeding as well as identifying harmful variants in the genome. However, there is a lack of systemic reports on ruminants in previous studies of ROHs. Here, we sequenced 108 Hu sheep, detected ROHs in Hu sheep to calculate their inbreeding coefficient, and selected genes of Hu sheep breeds within the ROH islands which are relevant to agricultural economic characteristics. Then, we compared the characteristics of the occurrences of SNPs between Hu sheep and other sheep breeds, and also investigated the distribution of the frequencies of SNPs within specific gene regions of Hu sheep breeds to select their breed-specific genes. Furthermore, we performed a comparative genome and transcriptome analysis in human and sheep breeds to identify important reproduction-related genes. In this way, we found some significant SNPs, and mapped these with a set of interesting candidate genes which are related to the productive value of livestock (FGF9, BMPR1B, EFNB3, MICU2, GFRA3), healthy characteristics (LGSN, EPHA5, ALOX15B), and breed specificity (FGF9, SAP18, MICU2). These results in our study describe various production traits of Hu sheep from a genetic perspective, and provide insights into the genetic management and complementary understanding of Hu sheep. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sheep Molecular Genetics and Breeding)
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8 pages, 996 KiB  
Article
Variation in Ovine DGAT1 and Its Association with Carcass Muscle Traits in Southdown Sheep
by Rong Dai, Huitong Zhou, Qian Fang, Ping Zhou, Yang Yang, Shuang Jiang and Jonathan G. H. Hickford
Genes 2022, 13(9), 1670; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13091670 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1628
Abstract
Diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) is a microsomal enzyme that plays a key role in the synthesis of triglycerides. Its gene (DGAT1) is regarded as a candidate gene for variation in milk and meat traits in cattle. The objective of this study [...] Read more.
Diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) is a microsomal enzyme that plays a key role in the synthesis of triglycerides. Its gene (DGAT1) is regarded as a candidate gene for variation in milk and meat traits in cattle. The objective of this study was to use a PCR single-strand conformation polymorphism approach to explore sequence variation in two regions of ovine DGAT1 and to assess its effect on meat traits in New Zealand Southdown sheep. Three variant nucleotide sequences were identified in each region, with two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one nucleotide deletion being detected in intron 1 and two SNPs being found in exon 17. The effect of the exon 17 variation was not investigated due to one variant being predominant and the other two variants occurring at low frequencies. In intron 1, one variant (B1) was found to be associated with increase loin meat yield, suggesting that this may have value as a gene marker for improving meat traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sheep Molecular Genetics and Breeding)
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