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Animals
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Seasonal Control of Reproduction, Production and Health in Sheep
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Seasonal Control of Reproduction, Production and Health in Sheep

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 4984

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Carcangiu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: seasonal reproduction; endocrinology; fertility; prolificacy; reproductive biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Luisa Pulinas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: seasonal reproduction; melatonin; milk yield; sheep

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The control of reproductive activity in animals of zootechnical interest has always been a topic that has stimulated both researchers and technicians in the sector. In fact, a good reproductive efficiency is the basis for obtaining an excellent production of milk, meat, and wool. In sheep, seasonal reproductive activity is a limitation because it seasonalizes production, with consequent effects on the market of their products. Furthermore, the season influences the quantity and quality of products obtained from sheep and their state of health. Therefore, the purpose of this Special Issue is to publish original research papers and reviews concerning the control of reproductive seasonality and the effect of the season on the production characteristics and on the health of sheep.

We are interested in papers addressing reproductive seasonality in sheep and methods for its control, the improvement of reproduction management in sheep farming, and the effect of season on the production and immune response in sheep.

We invite you to share your recent findings through this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Carcangiu
Dr. Luisa Pulinas
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

  • seasonal reproduction
  • melatonin
  • milk quality
  • immunity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3497 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Analysis of Differentially Expressed CircRNAs in the Ovaries of Low- and High-Fertility Sheep
by Jinglei Wang, Hanying Chen, Yongsheng Zhang, Song Jiang, Xiancun Zeng and Hong Shen
Animals 2023, 13(2), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13020236 - 9 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2085
Abstract
CircRNAs are essential in regulating follicle growth and development and the female reproductive system at multiple levels. However, the molecular mechanism by which circRNAs regulate reproduction in sheep is unclear and requires further exploration. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed to reveal [...] Read more.
CircRNAs are essential in regulating follicle growth and development and the female reproductive system at multiple levels. However, the molecular mechanism by which circRNAs regulate reproduction in sheep is unclear and requires further exploration. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed to reveal the circRNA expression profiles in the ovaries of Cele black sheep and Hetian sheep during estrus. Analysis of the number of circRNAs in their host genes revealed that 5031 genes could produce 20,835 circRNAs. Among the differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNA), 75 were upregulated, and 105 were downregulated. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the host genes of DEcircRNA were involved in several pathways, including the MAPK and Hippo signaling pathway. In addition, we constructed a subnetwork of competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) containing 4 mRNAs, 4 microRNAs (miRNAs), and 10 circRNAs, potentially related to follicle development. Functional circRNAs (e.g., novel_circ_0003851, novel_circ_0015526, novel_circ_0008117) were found to act as ceRNAs for follicle growth and development-related mRNAs (CUEDC1, KPNB1, ZFPM2) by sponging functional miRNAs (miR-29a, miR-29b, miR-17-5p). Finally, through an RNA pull-down assay, oar-miR-125b was selected and confirmed as the target miRNA of novel-circ-0041512. We analyzed the overall expression of circRNAs in sheep ovaries. Further, we explored the potential mechanisms underlying the circRNA functions, providing a theoretical basis for the genetic progress of reproductive traits in sheep. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seasonal Control of Reproduction, Production and Health in Sheep)
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8 pages, 420 KiB  
Article
Effects of Implanting Exogenous Melatonin 40 Days before Lambing on Milk and Colostrum Quality
by Francisco Canto, Eloi González and José Alfonso Abecia
Animals 2022, 12(10), 1257; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12101257 - 13 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2221
Abstract
The effects of exogenous melatonin implanted before lambing on the quality of colostrum and milk yield were quantified in 715 ewes. Forty days before lambing, 246 ewes (1M) received a melatonin implant; another 137 ewes (2M) received two implants, and the remaining 332 [...] Read more.
The effects of exogenous melatonin implanted before lambing on the quality of colostrum and milk yield were quantified in 715 ewes. Forty days before lambing, 246 ewes (1M) received a melatonin implant; another 137 ewes (2M) received two implants, and the remaining 332 ewes (C) did not receive an implant (control). Milk analysis was based on individual monthly milk samplings (June, July, and August) after lambing. A colostrum sample was collected from 303 ewes (118 1M; 73 2M; and 112 C), and IgG concentrations were measured. Ewes implanted with melatonin had higher (p < 0.01) daily milk yield (DMY) in the three samplings than the C ewes. On average, 1M ewes produced more milk (p < 0.05) than ewes in the other two groups, and 2M ewes produced significantly (p < 0.05) more milk than C ewes. In the first and third controls, ewes that received two melatonin implants had a lower (p < 0.05) SCC than C and 1M ewes, and in the second sampling, 1M and 2M ewes had a lower (p < 0.01) SCC than C ewes. Ewes that received melatonin implants had a higher (p < 0.01) IgG concentration (21.61 ± 1.03 mg/mL) than non-implanted ewes (16.99 ± 1.13 mg/mL); 2M ewes had the highest IgG levels. In conclusion, ewes that received a melatonin implant 40 d before lambing produced colostrum that had a higher IgG concentration than the colostrum from nonimplanted ewes, and produced more milk, which had a lower SCC. The effect on SCC was prolonged if the sheep received a second melatonin implant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seasonal Control of Reproduction, Production and Health in Sheep)
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