Genetic variant of the sheep E2F8 gene and its associations with litter size.

The economic efficiency of sheep breeding, aiming to enhance productivity, is a focal point for improvement of sheep breeding. Recent studies highlight the involvement of the Early Region 2 Binding Factor transcription factor 8 (E2F8) gene in female reproduction. Our group's recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) emphasizes the potential impact of the E2F8 gene on prolificacy traits in Australian White sheep (AUW). Herein, the purpose of this study was to assess the correlation of the E2F8 gene with litter size in AUW sheep breed. This work encompassed 659 AUW sheep, subject to genotyping through PCR-based genotyping technology. Furthermore, the results of PCR-based genotyping showed significant associations between the P1-del-32bp bp InDel and the fourth and fifth parities litter size in AUW sheep; the litter size of those with genotype ID were superior compared to those with DD and II genotypes. Thus, these results indicate that the P1-del-32bp InDel within the E2F8 gene can be useful in marker-assisted selection (MAS) in sheep.

Exploration of the Polymorphism Distribution of Bovine HMGA2 Gene in Worldwide Breeds and Its Associations with Ovarian Traits.

The high-mobility group AT-hook 2(HMGA2) gene has been widely studied in the context of cancer and animal growth. However, recently, several studies have uncovered its critical role in cell proliferation. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) further suggests that the HMGA2 gene is a candidate gene in fertility, indicating its connection not only to growth traits but also to reproduction, specifically ovarian traits. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the distribution of the HMGA2 gene in 54 bovine breeds worldwide, identify important short fragment variants (indels), and investigate the relationship between HMGA2 and ovarian development. The dataset included genotypic information from a bovine population of 634 individuals (n = 634). After genotyping and analyzing four selected loci, we found that one out of four loci, rs133750033 (P4-D22-bp), was polymorphic. Our results also reveal that this indel of HMGA2 is significantly associated with certain ovarian traits (p < 0.05). Specifically, it has connection with ovarian length (p = 0.004) and ovarian height (p = 0.026) during diestrus. Additionally, we discovered a higher expression of the HMGA2 gene in Asian cattle breeds. In summary, this study suggests that HMGA2 has the potential to serve as an animal fertility testing marker gene. Moreover, these findings contribute to a more promising outlook for the bovine industry.

Exploring the Sheep MAST4 Gene Variants and Their Associations with Litter Size.

The economic efficiency of sheep breeding can be improved by enhancing sheep productivity. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) unveiled the potential impact of the MAST4 gene on prolificacy traits in Australian White sheep (AUW)). Herein, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from 26 different sheep breeds worldwide (n = 1507), including diverse meat, wool, milk, or dual-purpose sheep breed types from China, Europe, and Africa, were used. Moreover, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping of the MAST4 gene polymorphisms in (n = 566) Australian white sheep (AUW) was performed. The 3 identified polymorphisms were not homogeneously distributed across the 26 examined sheep breeds. Findings revealed prevalent polymorphisms (P3-ins-29 bp and P6-del-21 bp) with varying frequencies (0.02 to 0.97) across 26 breeds, while P5-del-24 bp was presented in 24 out of 26 breeds. Interestingly, the frequency of the P3-ins-29 bp variant was markedly higher in Chinese meat or dual-purpose sheep breeds, while the other two variants also showed moderate frequencies in meat breeds. Notably, association analysis indicated that all InDels were associated with AUW sheep litter size (p < 0.05). These results suggest that these InDels within the MAST4 gene could be useful in marker-assisted selection in sheep breeding.

Bovine FRAS1: mRNA Expression Profile, Genetic Variations, and Significant Correlations with Ovarian Morphological Traits, Mature Follicle, and Corpus Luteum.

The amelioration of bovine fertility caused by a multi-factorial problem has always been a hot topic, among which the detection of available target genes is the most crucial. It was hypothesized that the Fraser extracellular matrix complex subunit 1 (FRAS1) gene detected by GWAS is involved in physiological activities such as ovarian development. Herein, unilateral ovaries from 2111 cows were used to examine the mRNA expression profile and polymorphisms of bovine FRAS1 and their associations with fertility-related characteristics. Firstly, it was confirmed that FRAS1 gene transcripts are expressed in various bovine tissues. Then, among five potential insertion-deletion (indel) loci, the 20 bp (named P3-D20-bp) and 15 bp (P4-D15-bp) deletion mutations were confirmed to be polymorphic with linkage equilibrium. Secondly, the P3-D20-bp polymorphism was significantly associated with ovarian weight and corpus luteum diameter in the metaestrus phase and ovarian length in the dioestrum stage. Additionally, both ovarian length and mature follicle diameter in metaestrus are significantly correlated with different genotypes of P4-D15-bp. Thirdly, the transcriptional expression of the FRAS1 gene in groups with a minimum value of ovarian weight or volume was significantly higher than the expression in groups with a maximum value. Instead of that, the more corpus luteum and mature follicles there are, the higher the transcription expression of the FRAS1 gene is. Furthermore, FRAS1 expression in cows with a heterozygous genotype (ID) of P3-D20-bp was significantly higher than others. Eventually, P3-D20-bp deletion could disturb the binding efficiency of WT1-I and Sox2 to FRAS1 sequence according to binding prediction, indicating that mutation may affect gene expression and traits by influencing the binding of transcription factors. Overall, the polymorphisms of P3-D20-bp and P4-D15-bp of the bovine FRAS1 gene significantly correlated to follicle or ovarian traits that could be applied in optimizing female fertility in cow MAS breeding programs.

Flower-like WSe2 used as bio-matrix in ultrasensitive label-free electrochemical immunosensor for human immunoglobulin G determination.

The abnormal concentrations of human immunoglobulin G (hIgG) refers to many kinds of diseases. Analytical methods with the characteristics of rapid response, easy operation and high sensitivity should be designed to accurately determinate the hIgG levels in human serum. In this work, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on WSe2/rGO was developed to sensitively detect human immunoglobulin G. First, the flower-like transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) Tungsten Diselenide (WSe2) with large effective specific surface area and porous structure was synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis. As a bio-matrix, the flower-like WSe2 efficiently increased the active sites for loading antibodies. Meanwhile, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) obtained by tannic acid reduction was used to improve the current response of the sensing interface. WSe2 was combined with rGO and the electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of the sensing interface was enlarged to 2.1 times that of GCE. Finally, the combination of flower-like WSe2 and rGO broadened the detection range and reduced the detection limit of the sensing platform. The immunosensor exhibited a high sensitivity with a wide linear range of 0.01-1000 ng/mL and low detection limit of 4.72 pg/mL. The real sample analysis of hIgG were conducted under optimal conditions, and the spiked recovery rates were between 95.5 and 104.1%. Moreover, satisfactory results were obtained by testing the stability, specificity and reproducibility of the immunosensor. Therefore, it can be concluded that the as-proposed immunosensor has the application potential of clinical analyze of hIgG in human serum.

A specific identification platform based on biscuit-like bismuth nanosheets for label-free electrochemical immunosensor.

A label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on the biscuit-like bismuth nanosheets (BiNSs) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes-chitosan-gold nanoparticles (MWCNTs-Chit-AuNPs) was constructed for the detection of human immunoglobulin G (hIgG). The biscuit-like BiNSs prepared by one-step aqueous phase reduction method had a large electroactive surface area, 1.7 times that of bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE), which could load more antibodies and were used as a larger platform for the specific identification of antigens and antibodies. In addition, MWCNTs and AuNPs with good conductivity could be used to regulate the sensing interface, which promoted electron transfer greatly. Moreover, the AuNPs could stably anchor anti-hIgG by the affinity interaction between amine group of antibody and AuNPs, which greatly increased the number of anti-hIgG attached to the sensing platform. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed immunosensor exhibited excellent analytical performance for hIgG with a wide linear response of 0.01-1000 ng/mL and a low detection limit of 4.26 pg/mL. The electrochemical immunosensor exhibited favorable reproducibility, excellent specificity and high storage stability. Additionally, the immunosensor could be applied to determining hIgG in human serum samples as well. Considering these advantages, the electrochemical immunosensor has the potential application in clinical diagnosis.