Whole-genome resequencing reveals molecular imprints of anthropogenic and natural selection in wild and domesticated sheep.

The abundance of domesticated sheep varieties and phenotypes is largely the result of long-term natural and artificial selection. However, there is limited information regarding the genetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation induced by the domestication and improvement of sheep. In this study, to explore genomic diversity and selective regions at the genome level, we sequenced the genomes of 100 sheep across 10 breeds and combined these results with publicly available genomic data from 225 individuals, including improved breeds, Chinese indigenous breeds, African indigenous breeds, and their Asian mouflon ancestor. Based on population structure, the domesticated sheep formed a monophyletic group, while the Chinese indigenous sheep showed a clear geographical distribution trend. Comparative genomic analysis of domestication identified several selective signatures, including IFI44 and IFI44L genes and PANK2 and RNF24 genes, associated with immune response and visual function. Population genomic analysis of improvement demonstrated that candidate genes of selected regions were mainly associated with pigmentation, energy metabolism, and growth development. Furthermore, the IFI44 and IFI44L genes showed a common selection signature in the genomes of 30 domesticated sheep breeds. The IFI44 c. 54413058 C>G mutation was selected for genotyping and population genetic validation. Results showed that the IFI44 polymorphism was significantly associated with partial immune traits. Our findings identified the population genetic basis of domesticated sheep at the whole-genome level, providing theoretical insights into the molecular mechanism underlying breed characteristics and phenotypic changes during sheep domestication and improvement.

Hollow Porous VOx/C Nanoscrolls as High-Performance Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Novel hollow porous VOx/C nanoscrolls are synthesized by an annealing process with the VOx/octadecylamine (ODA) nanoscrolls as both vanadium and carbon sources. In the preparation, the VOx/ODA nanoscrolls are first achieved by a two-phase solvothermal method using ammonium metavanadat as the precursor. Upon subsequent heating, the intercalated amines between the vanadate layers in the VOx/ODA nanoscrolls decompose into gases, which escape from inside the nanoscrolls and leave sufficient pores in the walls. As the anodes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), such hollow porous VOx/C nanoscrolls possess exceedingly high capacity and rate capability (904 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1) and long cyclic stability (872 mAh g-1 after 210 cycles at 1 A g-1). The good performance is derived from the unique structural features of the hollow hierarchical porous nanoscrolls with low crystallinity, which could significantly suppress irreversible Li+ trapping as well as improve Li+ diffusion kinetics. This universal method of annealing amine-intercalated oxide could be widely applied to the fabrication of a variety of porous electrode materials for high-performance LIBs and supercapacitors.