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Animals
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Research toward Genetic Improvement of Productivity in Sheep and Goats
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Research toward Genetic Improvement of Productivity in Sheep and Goats

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 3482

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Huitong Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Gene-Marker Laboratory, Faculty of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
Interests: animal genetics; sheep; genetic variation; gene-marker technology; PCR-based diagnostics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Liguang Shi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571100, China
Interests: conservation; breeding and utilization of livestock and poultry germplasm resources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the increasing demand for animal-derived products and challenges posed by climate change on forage production, there is a need to deepen our understanding of the genetic factors regulating productivity and sustainability in livestock. This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest research and advancements in livestock genetics, with a particular focus on the genetic underpinnings of key production traits in sheep and goats, including wool production, meat yield, growth rates, and feed efficiency.

We welcome submissions exploring the genetic determinants of wool quality, genomic selection for enhanced meat production, and the genetic basis of growth and nutrient utilization. By offering innovative approaches and findings, these contributions aim to refine livestock management practices and genetic selection strategies, ultimately enhancing the productivity and sustainability of sheep and goat industries. Join us in advancing our understanding of livestock genetics to secure a resilient future for animal agriculture.

Dr. Huitong Zhou
Dr. Liguang Shi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wool and cashmere fiber
  • meat and carcass traits
  • growth and feed efficiency
  • sheep
  • goat

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2175 KiB  
Article
The Multi-Loci Genotypes of the Myostatin Gene Associated with Growth Indicators of Intensively Fattened Lambs of Latvian Sheep
by Ilva Trapina, Daina Kairisa, Samanta Plavina, Nikole Krasnevska, Jegors Paramonovs, Liga Senfelde and Natalia Paramonova
Animals 2024, 14(21), 3143; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213143 - 1 Nov 2024
Viewed by 641
Abstract
Myostatin (MSTN), a member of the TGFβ superfamily, negatively affects skeletal muscle growth and controls muscle development at stages of pre-natal muscle growth. Marker-assisted selection with molecular markers of the MSTN gene can be used in animal husbandry for higher-quality and more economically [...] Read more.
Myostatin (MSTN), a member of the TGFβ superfamily, negatively affects skeletal muscle growth and controls muscle development at stages of pre-natal muscle growth. Marker-assisted selection with molecular markers of the MSTN gene can be used in animal husbandry for higher-quality and more economically profitable lambs. The study aims to identify multi-locus genotypes within the MSTN gene regions as molecular markers for fattening, feed efficiency, and carcass traits in Latvian sheep. This analysis was conducted on 76 intensively fattened male lambs representing six breeds in Latvia. Nine genotypes were identified based on four SNPs in the promoter and exon 1 regions, while six and four SNPs in introns 1 and 2 led to the formation of 14 and 10 genotypes, respectively. Six genotypes identified in the 3′UTR were significantly linked to traits such as birth weight, slaughter yield, muscle development, fat depth, average daily gain, dry matter intake, and feed efficiency. Genotypes of intron 1 were associated with slaughter yield, while genotypes of intron 2 were linked to fat depth, dry matter intake, and residual weight gain. The study concludes that MSTN gene SNPs can be used in selection to enhance sheep breeds in Latvia and improve economic outcomes for breeders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research toward Genetic Improvement of Productivity in Sheep and Goats)
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9 pages, 792 KiB  
Article
Proteomic Analysis of Crimped and Straight Wool in Chinese Tan Sheep
by An Shi, Sijia Ma, Zhuo Yang, Wei Ding, Jinyang Tian, Xin Chen and Jinzhong Tao
Animals 2024, 14(19), 2858; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192858 - 4 Oct 2024
Viewed by 492
Abstract
Crimped wool in Tan sheep gradually transitions to straight wool after 35 days (the er-mao stage), which reduces its commercial value. To investigate the changes in wool proteins during this stage, we performed comparative proteomic analysis of the straight and crimped wool using [...] Read more.
Crimped wool in Tan sheep gradually transitions to straight wool after 35 days (the er-mao stage), which reduces its commercial value. To investigate the changes in wool proteins during this stage, we performed comparative proteomic analysis of the straight and crimped wool using tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantification. The mean fur curvature (MFC) of crimped wool was significantly greater than that of straight wool (p < 0.001). We identified 1218 proteins between the two types of wool, including 50 keratins (Ks) and 10 keratin-associated proteins (KAPs). There were 213 differentially expressed proteins, including 13 Ks and 4 KAPs. Crimped wool showed relatively high abundances of KAP24-1, K84, K32, K82, and intermediate filament rod domain-containing protein (IRDC), whereas straight wool had relatively high abundances of K6A, K27, K80, KAP16-1, KAP27-1, and trichohyalin (TCHH). The expression levels of KAP16-1, KAP24-1, and KAP27-1 were related to the ratio of paracortex, which may be associated with wool crimp formation. Additionally, high expressions of TCHH, K27, and K6A in the inner root sheath (IRS) were linked to fiber fineness in straight wool. These findings provide insight into the overall expression and distribution patterns of Ks and KAPs, offering opportunities to improve wool quality and enhance its economic potential in the textile industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research toward Genetic Improvement of Productivity in Sheep and Goats)
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12 pages, 1827 KiB  
Article
Pleiotropic Gene HMGA2 Regulates Myoblast Proliferation and Affects Body Size of Sheep
by Xiukai Cao, Chen Ling, Yongqi Liu, Yifei Gu, Jinlin Huang and Wei Sun
Animals 2024, 14(18), 2721; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182721 - 20 Sep 2024
Viewed by 553
Abstract
Uncovering genes associated with muscle growth and body size will benefit the molecular breeding of meat Hu sheep. HMGA2 has proven to be an important gene in mouse muscle growth and is associated with the body size of various species. However, its roles [...] Read more.
Uncovering genes associated with muscle growth and body size will benefit the molecular breeding of meat Hu sheep. HMGA2 has proven to be an important gene in mouse muscle growth and is associated with the body size of various species. However, its roles in sheep are still limited. Using sheep myoblast as a cell model, the overexpression of HMGA2 significantly promoted sheep myoblast proliferation, while interference with HMGA2 expression inhibited proliferation, indicated by qPCR, EdU, and CCK-8 assays. Furthermore, the dual-luciferase reporter system indicated that the region NC_056056.1: 154134300-154134882 (-618 to -1200 bp upstream of the HMGA2 transcription start site) was one of the habitats of the HMGA2 core promoter, given the observation that this fragment led to a ~3-fold increase in luciferase activity. Interestingly, SNP rs428001129 (NC_056056.1:g.154134315 C>A) was detected in this fragment by Sanger sequencing of the PCR product of pooled DNA from 458 crossbred sheep. This SNP was found to affect the promoter activity and was significantly associated with chest width at birth and two months old, as well as chest depth at two and six months old. The data obtained in this study demonstrated the phenotypic regulatory role of the HMGA2 gene in sheep production traits and the potential of rs428001129 in marker-assisted selection for sheep breeding in terms of chest width and chest depth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research toward Genetic Improvement of Productivity in Sheep and Goats)
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10 pages, 3500 KiB  
Article
One Copy Number Variation within the Angiopoietin-1 Gene Is Associated with Leizhou Black Goat Meat Quality
by Qun Wu, Xiaotao Han, Yuelang Zhang, Hu Liu, Hanlin Zhou, Ke Wang and Jiancheng Han
Animals 2024, 14(18), 2682; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182682 - 14 Sep 2024
Viewed by 572
Abstract
The ANGPT1 gene plays a crucial role in the regulation of angiogenesis and muscle growth, with previous studies identifying copy number variations (CNVs) within this gene among Leizhou black goats. In this study, we investigated three ANGPT1 CNVs in 417 individuals of LZBG [...] Read more.
The ANGPT1 gene plays a crucial role in the regulation of angiogenesis and muscle growth, with previous studies identifying copy number variations (CNVs) within this gene among Leizhou black goats. In this study, we investigated three ANGPT1 CNVs in 417 individuals of LZBG using quantitative PCR (qPCR), examining the impact of different CNV types on the ANGPT1 gene expression and their associations with growth and meat quality traits. Notably, the ANGPT1 CNV-1 (ARS1_chr14:24950001-24953600) overlaps with protein-coding regions and conserved domains; its gain-of-copies genotype (copies ≥ 3) was significantly correlated with ANGPT1 mRNA expression in muscle tissue (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the gain-of-copies genotype of CNV-1 demonstrated significant correlations with various phenotypic traits, including carcass weight, body weight, shear stress, chest circumference, and cross-sectional area of longissimus dorsi muscle. These findings indicate that the CNV-1 gain-of-copies genotype in the ANGPT1 gene may serve as a valuable marker for selecting Leizhou black goats exhibiting enhanced growth and muscular development characteristics, thereby holding potential applications in targeted breeding programs aimed at improving meat quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research toward Genetic Improvement of Productivity in Sheep and Goats)
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11 pages, 1209 KiB  
Article
Exploring Variation in Ovine KRTAP19-5 and Its Effect on Fine Wool Fibre Curvature in Chinese Tan Sheep
by Lingrong Bai, Huitong Zhou, Wenhao Li, Jinzhong Tao and Jon G. H. Hickford
Animals 2024, 14(15), 2155; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152155 - 24 Jul 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 677
Abstract
Sheep’s wool is known to have unique biological, physical and chemical properties. The fibre primarily consists of proteins, but these have amino acid sequence variation, and at the phenotypic level wool fibre varies considerably. This can affect its utility and value. Unravelling the [...] Read more.
Sheep’s wool is known to have unique biological, physical and chemical properties. The fibre primarily consists of proteins, but these have amino acid sequence variation, and at the phenotypic level wool fibre varies considerably. This can affect its utility and value. Unravelling the genetic factors that underpin the protein and phenotypic variability is crucial if we are to contemplate improving wool quality. Accordingly, this study investigates the high glycine and tyrosine content keratin-associated protein 19-5 gene (KRTAP19-5) in sheep. PCR-single strand confirmation polymorphism analysis, coupled with DNA sequencing of a region spanning whole coding sequence, revealed six sequence variants containing seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Five of the SNPs were located within the coding region, with four leading to amino acid changes if expressed. In 247 Chinese Tan sheep derived from 10 sire-lines, and renowned for their distinct ‘spring-like’ crimped wool at up to approximately 35 days after birth, one of the variants was found to be associated with decreased curvature of the fine wool fibres in the fleece. No associations were detected with other fibre traits or with variation in the heterotypic hair fibres of the Tan sheep. While these findings may be useful for developing gene markers to alter mean wool fibre curvature and improve sheep breeding, many other genes and environmental factors are known to contribute to variation in fibre traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research toward Genetic Improvement of Productivity in Sheep and Goats)
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