PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
In dairy sheep industry, milk production dictates the value of a ewe. Milk production is directly related to the morphology and physiology of the mammary gland; both being designated targets of breeding strategies. Although within a flock breeding parameters are mutual, large differences in milk production among individual ewes are usually observed. In this work, we tested two of the most productive dairy sheep breeds reared intensively in Greece, one local the Chios breed and one foreign the Lacaune breed. We used transcriptome sequencing to reveal molecular mechanisms that render the mammary gland highly productive or not. While highly expressed genes (caseins and major whey protein genes) were common among breeds, differences were observed in differentially expressed genes. ENSOARG00000008077, as a member of ribosomal protein 14 family, together with LPCAT2, CCR3, GPSM2, ZNF131, and ASIP were among the genes significantly differentiating mammary gland\'s productivity in high yielding ewes. Gene ontology terms were mainly linked to the inherent transcriptional activity of the mammary gland (GO:0005524, GO:0030552, GO:0016740, GO:0004842), lipid transfer activity (GO:0005319) and innate immunity (GO:0002376, GO:0075528, GO:0002520). In addition, clusters of genes affecting zinc and iron trafficking into mitochondria were highlighted for high yielding ewes (GO:0071294, GO:0010043). Our analyses provide insights into the molecular pathways involved in lactation between ewes of different performances. Results revealed management issues that should be addressed by breeders in order to move toward increased milk yields through selection of the desired phenotypes. Our results will also contribute toward the selection of the most resilient and productive ewes, thus, will strengthen the existing breeding systems against a spectrum of environmental threats.
摘要：
在奶羊产业中，牛奶产量决定了母羊的价值。产奶量与乳腺的形态和生理直接相关；两者都是育种策略的指定目标。虽然在羊群内繁殖参数是相互的，通常观察到个体母羊之间产奶量的巨大差异。在这项工作中,我们测试了两个在希腊密集饲养的产量最高的乳羊品种，一个本地的Chios品种和一个外国的Lacaune品种。我们使用转录组测序来揭示使乳腺高产与否的分子机制。虽然高表达基因（酪蛋白和主要乳清蛋白基因）在品种中很常见，在差异表达基因中观察到差异。ENSOARG00000008077，作为核糖体蛋白14家族的成员，与LPCAT2，CCR3，GPSM2，ZNF131和ASIP一起，是显着区分高产母羊乳腺生产力的基因。基因本体论术语主要与乳腺的固有转录活性相关(GO:0005524,GO:0030552,GO:0016740,GO:0004842),脂质转移活性(GO:0005319)和先天免疫(GO:0002376,GO:0075528,GO:0002520)。此外,对于高产母羊，突出了影响锌和铁运输到线粒体中的基因簇（GO：0071294，GO：0010043）。我们的分析提供了有关不同性能母羊之间泌乳的分子途径的见解。结果表明，育种者应解决管理问题，以便通过选择所需的表型来提高牛奶产量。我们的结果也将有助于选择最具弹性和生产力的母羊，因此，将加强现有的育种系统，以应对一系列环境威胁。
