ABSTRACT
Fur color is an important, genetically determined characteristic of domestic rabbits, and rabbit furs are of great economic value. To investigate the molecular genetics associated with fur color determination in domestic rabbits, we used Solexa-sequencing technology to probe gene expression in dorsal skin tissues sampled from full-sibling Rex rabbits of different colors. The number of expressed genes in each sample was approximately 14,700. Among the top 30 genes and transcription factors with the highest reads per kilobase per million values, the elongation factor-alpha 1 gene was highly expressed in all samples, as were genes of the ribosomal protein and keratin gene families. Compared with the chinchilla (C) Rex rabbit control sample, the numbers of genes in the black (B) and white (W) rabbit samples were 1809 and 460, respectively, and the number of common differentially expressed genes was 257. Clustering analysis of these 257 genes revealed that 32 were up-regulated in sample B and down-regulated in sample W. Of these 32 genes, we identified some that are related to fur formation, including Tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1) and Tyrosinase (TYR), as well as genes with unknown functions. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to verify the expression patterns of those genes. The findings are expected to provide reference for the further study of fur color formation in rabbits.
Subject(s)
Oxidoreductases/biosynthesis , Pigmentation/genetics , Transcriptome/genetics , Animals , Color , Gene Expression Profiling , Gene Expression Regulation/genetics , Hair , High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing , Monophenol Monooxygenase/biosynthesis , Monophenol Monooxygenase/genetics , Oxidoreductases/genetics , RabbitsABSTRACT
The molecular mechanism underlying muscle development in rabbits is not well-understood. In the current study, differentially-expressed genes were scanned using an expression profile chip in New Zealand white rabbits (introduced breed) and Fujian yellow rabbits (local breed), and some of the genes were tested using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The amplification results were consistent with the microarray data. Fourteen and 13 genes involved in muscle development were identified in the dorsal longissimus and leg muscles, respectively. Myh6, Myh7, Myh7b, Myo5b, Tnnc1, Tpm3, and Acta2 were scanned in the longissimus and leg muscles. Thus, these genes may be involved in muscle fiber formation and muscle development in rabbits. This study provides a theoretical basis for improving meat quality, as well as for the future development and utilization of local meat rabbit breeds.
Subject(s)
Breeding , Gene Expression Profiling , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis/methods , Animals , Female , Gene Expression Regulation , Male , RNA/genetics , RNA/metabolism , Rabbits , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
Microsomal epoxide hydrolase 1 (EPHX1) is an important biological phase II metabolic enzyme that is extensively involved in the metabolism of diverse environmental carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines. Many articles have reported the association between EPHX1 (Tyr113His and His139Arg) polymorphisms and esophageal cancer risk, but the results are controversial. This study aimed to identify the association between EPHX1 (Tyr113His and His139Arg) polymorphisms and esophageal cancer risk by meta-analysis. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was used to evaluate the strength of the associations. Heterogeneity was estimated by the chi-square-based Q-statistic test and the P value. Meanwhile, the random-effect or fixed-effect model was used according to the between-study heterogeneity. Begg's funnel plot and the Egger test were performed to assess the publication bias of articles. Finally, 8 case-control studies involving 1158 cases and 1868 controls for the Tyr113His polymorphism and 7 case-control studies involving 901 cases and 1615 controls for the His139Arg polymorphism were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed that the Tyr113His polymorphism was a stronger power trend towards risk for esophageal cancer using a recessive model (CC versus CT+TT, OR = 1.204, 95%CI = 1.001-1.450, P = 0.049). However, no significant associated risk was found between the His139Arg polymorphism and esophageal cancer. These findings suggest that the Tyr113His polymorphism might be a stronger power trend towards risk for esophageal cancer. However, no evidence was found for the association between the EPHX1 His139Arg polymorphism and esophageal cancer risk.