Transcriptome-wide analysis uncovers regulatory elements of the antennal transcriptome repertoire of bumblebee at different life stages.

Bumblebees are crucial pollinators, providing essential ecosystem services and global food production. The success of pollination services relies on the interaction between sensory organs and the environment. The antenna functions as a versatile multi-sensory organ, pivotal in mediating chemosensory/olfactory information, and governs adaptive responses to environmental changes. Despite an increasing number of RNA-sequencing studies on insect antenna, comprehensive antennal transcriptome studies at the different life stages were not elucidated systematically. Here, we quantified the expression profile and dynamics of coding/microRNA genes of larval head and antennal tissues from early- and late-stage pupa to the adult of Bombus terrestris as suitable model organism among pollinators. We further performed Pearson correlation analyses on the gene expression profiles of the antennal transcriptome from larval head tissue to adult stages, exploring both positive and negative expression trends. The positively correlated coding genes were primarily enriched in sensory perception of chemical stimuli, ion transport, transmembrane transport processes and olfactory receptor activity. Negatively correlated genes were mainly enriched in organic substance biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms underlying larval body patterning and the formation of juvenile antennal structures. As post-transcriptional regulators, miR-1000-5p, miR-13b-3p, miR-263-5p and miR-252-5p showed positive correlations, whereas miR-315-5p, miR-92b-3p, miR-137-3p, miR-11-3p and miR-10-3p exhibited negative correlations in antennal tissue. Notably, based on the inverse expression relationship, positively and negatively correlated microRNA (miRNA)-mRNA target pairs revealed that differentially expressed miRNAs predictively targeted genes involved in antennal development, shaping antennal structures and regulating antenna-specific functions. Our data serve as a foundation for understanding stage-specific antennal transcriptomes and large-scale comparative analysis of transcriptomes in different insects.

Genome-wide association study of early liveweight traits in fat-tailed Akkaraman lambs.

Small ruminants, especially sheep, are essential for sustainable agricultural production systems, future food/nutrition security, and poverty reduction in developing countries. Within developed countries, the ability of sheep to survive on low-quality forage intake could act as buffer against climate change. Besides sheep's importance in sustainable agricultural production, there has been less ongoing work in terms of sheep genetics in Near East, Middle East and in Africa. For lamb meat production, body weight and average daily gain (ADG) until weaning are critical economic traits that affects the profitability of the industry. The current study aims to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are significantly associated with pre-weaning growth traits in fat tail Akkaraman lambs using a genome-wide association study (GWAS). A total of 196 Akkaraman lambs were selected for analysis. After quality control, a total of 31,936 SNPs and 146 lambs were used for subsequent analyses. PLINK 1.9 beta software was used for the analyses. Based on Bonferroni-adjusted p-values, one SNP (rs427117280) on chromosome 2 (OAR2) had significant associations with weaning weight at day 90 and ADG from day 0 to day 90, which jointly explains a 0.8% and 0.9% of total genetic variation respectively. The Ovis aries natriuretic peptide C (NPPC) could be considered as a candidate gene for the defined significant associations. The results of the current study will help to increase understanding of the variation in weaning weight and ADG until weaning of Akkaraman lambs and help enhance selection for lambs with improved weaning weight and ADG. However, further investigations are required for the identification of causal variants within the identified genomic regions.

TLR4, MyD88, and TNF-α Expression in the Lungs of Akkaraman and Romanov Lambs in Response to LPS and LTA.

Toll-like receptors are involved in the recognition of bacterial toxins, which cause infection in the respiratory system. This study aimed to evaluate microanatomical and histological alterations in the lungs of 24 healthy Akkaraman and Romanov lambs after the administration of lipoteichoic acid (LTA), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and LTA + LPS and investigate the gene, protein, and immune expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, and TNF-α molecules, known to have immune functions. Microanatomical examinations showed thickened peribronchial and alveolar walls in the lungs of groups LTA, LPS, and LTA + LPS of both breeds due to immune cell infiltration. TLR4, MyD88, and TNF-α immunoexpressions were positive to varying degrees in the cytoplasm and nucleus of the bronchial and bronchiolar luminal epithelial cells, alveolar epithelial cells, and alveolar macrophages. TLR4 and TNF-α protein expressions were statistically different in the LPS-treated Romanov lambs, compared to the other groups. Among the Akkaraman lambs, TLR4 gene expression was significantly higher in group LPS, and among the Romanov lambs, TLR4, MyD88, and TNF-α gene expressions were significantly higher in group LTA + LPS. Therefore, TLR4, MyD88, and TNF-α molecules, involved in the immune response, were found to be expressed at different levels against LTA and LPS in the lungs of two different sheep breeds.

LPS- and LTA-Induced Expression of TLR4, MyD88, and TNF-α in Lymph Nodes of the Akkaraman and Romanov Lambs.

Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated inflammatory processes play a critical role in the innate immune response during the initial interaction between the infecting microorganism and immune cells. This study aimed to investigate the possible microanatomical and histological differences in mandibular and bronchial lymph nodes in Akkaraman and Romanov lambs induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and study the gene, protein, and immunoexpression levels of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) that are involved in the immune system. Microanatomical examinations demonstrated more intense lymphocyte infiltration in the bronchial lymph nodes of Akkaraman lambs in the LPS and LTA groups compared to Romanov lambs. TLR4, MyD88, and TNF-α immunoreactivities were more intense in the experimental groups of both breeds. Expression levels of MyD88 and TNF-α genes in the bronchial lymph node of Akkaraman lambs were found to increase statistically significantly in the LTA group. TLR4 gene expression level in the mandibular lymph node was found to be statistically significantly higher in the LTA + LPS group. In conclusion, dynamic changes in the immune cell populations involved in response to antigens such as LTA and LPS in the lymph nodes of both breeds can be associated with the difference in the expression level of the TLR4/MyD88/TNF-α genes.

Association of GH, STAT5A, MYF5 gene polymorphisms with milk somatic cell count, EC and pH levels of Holstein dairy cattle.

This study was conducted to ivnestigate the associations of GH-AluI, STAT5A-AvaI and MYF5-TaqI gene polymorphisms with milk somatic cell count (SCC), electrical conductivity (EC) and pH levels in Holstein dairy cows. For this purpose, 167 blood and 1670 milk samples of 167 Holstein cows in their 2nd lactation were used. There were significant relationships between GH-AluI genotypes and milk EC (p < 0.001) and between STAT5A-AvaI genotypes and milk EC (p = 0.007), but there were not any significant relationships between MYF5 gene polymorphism and the investigated traits (p > 0.05). The greatest EC values were observed in GH-AluI-LV and STAT5A-AvaI-TT-genotyped individuals. Just because of association of EC with mastitis, it was concluded that present GH-AluI and STAT5A-AvaI polymorphisms could be used in further studies to be conducted to improve mastitis resistance and milk quality traits of Holstein dairy cows.

Effect of LPS and LTA stimulation on the expression of TLR-pathway genes in PBMCs of Akkaraman lambs in vivo.

This is the first study investigating the changes in some gene expressions related to the TLR pathway in vivo in sheep. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) molecules were administrated separately and in combination to the Akkaraman lambs via intranasal route. For this purpose, 28 lambs were distributed into four groups (LPS, LTA, LPS + LTA, and control, n = 7). Blood samples were collected to isolate the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at 24 h and on day 7. Expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, NF-κß, and IFN-γ genes were determined by qRT-PCR. Increases were determined in the expression data of TLR2 [LPS (P < 0.05) and LTA + LPS (P < 0.01)], TLR4 [LTA + LPS (P < 0.05)], TNF-α, IL-10 [LTA + LPS (P < 0.05)], and IFN-γ genes in all groups in the mRNA expression analysis of PBMCs isolated at 24 h whereas decreases were determined in the expression levels of these genes on day 7. The combination of LPS + LTA stimulated lamb PBMCs more effectively than separate administration of LPS and LTA at 24 h. Therefore, this article may contribute to the understanding the host-pathogen interaction of respiratory-transmitted bacterial diseases concerning PBMCs at 24 h and on day 7. Also this study may contribute to the dose adjustment for bacterial vaccine studies in sheep. Experimental application doses will be helpful for in vivo and in vitro drug and vaccine development studies in the fields of pharmacology and microbiology.

LEP and SCD polymorphisms are associated with milk somatic cell count, electrical conductivity and pH values in Holstein cows.

This study was conducted to determine LEP-Sau3AI, SCD-Fnu4HI, NR1H3-HpyCH4IV and FABP4-HinII gene polymorphisms and to investigate the association between these SNPs and somatic cell count (SCC), electrical conductivity (EC) and pH in Holstein cow milk. LEP-Sau3AI polymorphism found associated with SCC (p < 0.01), EC (p < 0.01) and pH (p < 0.05). LEP-Sau3AI-BB genotype resulted with higher SCC, EC and pH compared to other genotypes. SCD-Fnu4HI polymorphism showed differences in genotypes for EC (p < 0.05) and pH (p ≤ 0.05) traits. While the highest EC value was found in SCD-Fnu4HI-CT genotype, the highest milk pH was found in genotype TT. In addition, NR1H3-HpyCH4IV genotypes was found the only associated with pH (p < 0.05) among all studied phenotypes. Based on the present findings, it was concluded that LEP and SCD genes could be used in breeding programs for improved SCC, EC and pH values in Holstein dairy cows.

Polymorphisms in toll-like receptor (TLR) 1, 4, 9 and SLC11A1 genes and their association with paratuberculosis susceptibility in Holstein and indigenous crossbred cattle in Turkey.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes major problem in a wide range of animal species. In ruminant livestock including cattle, it causes a chronic disease called Johne's disease, or paratuberculosis (pTB) which is currently considered as potential zoonosis, causing Crohn's disease in humans. MAP infection susceptibility is suspected to be controlled by host genetics. Thus, selecting individuals according to their genetic structure could help to obtain bovine populations that are increasingly resistant to MAP infection. The aim of the present work was to investigate the association between toll-like receptor (TLR) 1 (+1380 G/A), TLR1 (+1446 C/A), TLR4 (+10 C/T), TLR9 (+1310 G/A) and solute carrier family 11 member 1 (SLC11A1) (+1066 C/G) mutations and MAP infection status in 813 cattle comprising East Anatolian Red crossbred, Anatolian Black crossbred and Holstein breed. TLR1 (+1380 G/A) mutation showed an association with bovineMAP (P<0.05). For the TLR1 (+1380 G/A) locus, the odds ratio for AG and AA genotypes versus GG genotypes were 2.31 (1.24-4.30; 95% confidence interval (CI)) and 0<0.001 (<0.001 to >999.999; 95% CI) which indicated that a proportion of AG homozygote was significantly higher in pTB-affected animals as compared with the control. General linear model analysis demonstrated higher MAP antibody response in TLR1 (+1380 AG) genotype as compared with TLR1 (+1380 GG) (P<0.0001). Present findings suggest that selection against TLR1 (+1380 G/A) may reduce the risk of pTB in bovine herds.