Impact of STAT5A-CNVs on growth traits in Chinese beef cattle breeds.

CNVs, which are a type of structural variation, make a substantial impact on diverse characteristics in multiple species. Q-PCR and data association analysis were used for STAT5A gene copy in this study. This study aimed to investigate the copy number variation (CNV) of the STAT5A gene in seven Chinese cattle breeds, namely Qinchuan cattle, Xianan cattle, Yunling cattle, Ji'an cattle, Jiaxian Red cattle, Qaidam cattle, and Guyuan yellow cattle. Blood samples were collected for CNV typing, and the correlation between CNV type and growth traits was analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software and ANOVA. The findings revealed variations in the distribution of different copy number types among the different cattle breeds. Furthermore, association analysis demonstrated a positive impact of CNV in the STAT5A gene on cattle growth: in the JX, individuals with duplication types exhibited superior performance in terms of rump length (P < 0.05). Conversely, normal GY cattle demonstrated better body height and abdomen circumference (P < 0.05), while QD cattle exhibited a significant correlation between weight and body length with normal individuals (P < 0.05). Moreover, QC bovine duplication individuals outperformed other types, with copy number variation significantly associated with chest depth, chest width, and body length (P < 0.05). The results validate the correlation between copy number variation (CNV) of the STAT5A gene and growth characteristics in five different cattle breeds, providing a reliable benchmark for the purpose of cattle breeding.

Bta-miR-200b promotes endometrial epithelial cell apoptosis by targeting MYB in cattle.

Embryonic mortality is considered to be one of the main reasons for reduced conception rates in the cattle industry. Insufficient endometrial receptivity is a major factor resulting in embryo implantation failure and losses. Apoptosis of endometrial epithelial cells is an important process during establishment of uterine receptivity and embryo implantation. The aim of this study was to explore the role of bta-miR-200b on endometrial epithelial cell apoptosis in cattle. Overexpression of bta-miR-200b upregulated the expression of proapoptotic gene BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator (BAX) and endometrial receptivity marker gene osteopontin (OPN) at mRNA and protein level in bovine endometrial epithelial cells. Moreover, overexpression of bta-miR-200b was able to inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of bovine endometrial epithelial cells by arresting the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase. MYB Proto-Oncogene (MYB) was verified to be a target of bta-miR-200b in bovine endometrial epithelial cells using dual-luciferase reporter assay. Transfection of bta-miR-200b mimics decreased the mRNA and protein expression of MYB. Overexpression of MYB decreased the effect of bta-miR-200b on apoptosis of bovine endometrial epithelial cells. Our findings suggest that bta-miR-200b can affect the apoptosis of endometrial epithelial cells in cattle by targeting the MYB gene.

Distribution and association study of PLAG1 gene between copy number variation and Chinese cattle populations.

Copy number variation mainly refers to the copy number change of DNA fragments from 1 to 5 Mb. The deletion, duplication, inversion and ectopic of these fragments are collectively referred to as CNV. Numerous studies have shown that transfer factors play a vital role in regulating the growth and development of the body, for example the pleomorphic adenoma gene (PLAG). However, there is no study of CNV in PLAG1 gene. We qualified copy numbers within PLAG1 gene in 8 cattle breeds (Qinchuan, Qaidamu, Jinjiang, Guangfeng, Ji'an, Jiaxian, Pinan and Xianan cattle) by quantitative PCR, and explored their impacts on CNV of PLAG1 gene and phenotypic traits in Xianan cattle. We defined Deletion into CN = 0, Normal into CN = 1 and Duplication into CN = 2. The results showed that the individual with type of CN = 1 has a significant better effect on heart girth in JA cattle population (p < 0.01); the individual with type of CN = 1 and CN = 0 has a better effect on Rump length in JX cattle population (p < 0.05); the individual with type of CN = 0 has a better effect on cannon bone circumference in XN cattle population (p < 0.05). Association analysis showed that in JA cattle, the number of CN = 2 is great in JA cattle population, and the performance of CN = 2 in heart girth is better than CN = 1; in JX cattle, the rump length of CN = 2 is less than individual with CN = 0 and CN = 1; in XN cattle, individuals with CN = 0 have a better performance on cannon bone circumference than others. The results can provide a theoretical basis for molecular breeding of Chinese cattle, molecular mark-assist selection (MAS) of growth traits of Chinese cattle, and rapidly establish a Chinese cattle population with excellent genetic resources. Simple summaryWith the living standards rising, people's demand for beef is getting higher and higher, and there is a great significance to improve the growth performance of cattle. We measured body size data and detected copy number type of different cattle breeds (Xianan cattle, Ji'an cattle and Jiaxian cattle), and analyzed the correlation between the two object. We found that copy number variation of PLAG1 gene significantly affected some growth traits of XN cattle, JA cattle, and JX cattle. This may provide the basic material for molecular marker-assisted selection breeding of Chinese cattle breeds.

Copy number variation of CADM2 gene revealed its association with growth traits across Chinese Capra hircus (goat) populations.

Copy number variations (CNVs) are the wide structural variations ranging from 50 bp to several Mb at genome which can affect gene expression and further impacting growth and development traits of livestock. Comparing with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), CNVs can better explain the genetic and phenotypic diversity, are increasingly important in biological research. As a member of immunoglobulin super-family, cell adhesion molecule 2 (CADM2) plays a vital role in cancer development and metabolic regulation. Here, we tested the CNV of CADM2 gene in 443 goats across five breeds (Guizhou white goat, GZW; Guizhou black goat, GZB; Africa Nubian goat, AN; Boer goat × Huai goat, BH; Boer goat, BG) and detected its association with phenotypic traits. Subsequently, we analyzed the CADM2 gene expression level in different tissues of NB goats (n = 3, Nubian × Black) and the transcriptional expression in lung is much higher than others. The results showed that the CNV of CADM2 has a significant association with withers height and body length in GZB goat (P < 0.01), in which individuals with type of deletion were superior to those with duplication or normal type in term of body hight and body length (P < 0.01). In summary, this study confirmed the association between CNV of CADM2 gene and growth traits, and our research data indicated the CADM2-CNV may considered as a prospective candidate for the molecular marker-assisted selection breeding of goat growth traits, which conducived to accelerating the genetic amelioration in Chinese goats.

Dynamic Expression Profile, Regulatory Mechanism and Correlation with Egg-laying Performance of ACSF Gene Family in Chicken (Gallus gallus).

Acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSs) are responsible for acyl-CoA synthesis from nonpolar hydrophilic fatty acids and play a vital role in many metabolic processes. As a category of ACS isozymes, members of ACS family (ACSF1-3) participate in lipid metabolism; however, their expression patterns, regulatory mechanisms and effects on egg-laying performance in chicken are poorly understood. Our in vivo and in vitro studies showed that ACSF1-3 genes were extensively expressed, and their expression levels changed dynamically in the liver among different development stages. Moreover, ACSF1 expression was upregulated and ACSF2 expression was downregulated by estrogen, but ACSF3 showed no response to estrogen treatment. The regulatory effect of estrogen on ACSF1 expression was mediated via ERα. The ACSF2 was highly expressed in the liver in peak-laying hens compared with pre-laying and late-laying hens, and also highly expressed in the liver continued egg-laying hens compared with inactive egg-laying hens. It is suggested that hepatic ACSF2 expression level might relate to egg-laying performance in chicken. In conclusion, the expression of ACSF1 was upregulated by estrogen via ERα, and the expression of ACSF2 was downregulated by estrogen and might be related to egg-laying performance in chicken.

SNP in pre-miR-1666 decreases mature miRNA expression and is associated with chicken performance.

Polymorphisms in miRNA genes could potentially alter various biological processes by influencing the processing and (or) target selection of miRNAs. The rs14120863 (C > G) mutation, which we characterized in a Gushi-Anka F2 resource population, resides in the precursor region of miR-1666. Association analysis with chicken carcass and growth traits showed that the SNP was significantly associated with carcass weight, evisceration weight, breast muscle weight, leg muscle weight, and body weight at 8 weeks of age, as well as some body size indexes including shank girth, chest breadth, breast bone length, and body slanting length, in the Gushi-Anka F2 resource population. Quantitative RT-PCR results showed that miR-1666 expression levels in muscle tissues differed within various genotypes. Experiment in DF1 cells further confirmed that the SNP in miR-1666 could significantly alter mature miRNA production. Subsequently, using dual-luciferase report assay, we verified that miR-1666 could perform its function through targeting of the CBFB gene. In conclusion, the SNP in the precursor of miR-1666 could significantly reduce mature miR-1666 production. It may further affect the function of miR-1666 through the target gene CBFB, hence it is associated with chicken growth traits.