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Jiang J, Xu L, Zhuang Y, Wei X, Zhang Z, Zhao W, Wang Q, Ye X, Gu J, Cao C, Sun J, He K, Zhang Z, Wang Q, Pan Y, Wang Z. MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System-A Case Study in Pigs. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:843. [PMID: 39452151 PMCID: PMC11504952 DOI: 10.3390/biology13100843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2024] [Revised: 09/29/2024] [Accepted: 10/14/2024] [Indexed: 10/26/2024]
Abstract
Intensively farmed animals such as pigs inevitably experience a certain degree of psychological stress, which leads to a reduction in production performance. Mental health traits are currently difficult to measure, resulting in a gap in understanding their genetic basis. To address this challenge, we propose a computational framework called mental health of animals (MeHA), capable of revealing genes related to animal mental health traits. Using MeHA, we identified 109 candidate genes associated with pig mental health and discovered their intricate connections with critical functions, such as memory, cognition, and neural development, which are essential components of mental health and cognitive performance. Importantly, our findings provide evidence of the potential impact of these genes on economically important traits, including meat quality and piglet survival. This research underscores the importance of genetic studies in enhancing our understanding of animal behavior and cognition, as well as promoting agricultural practices. By applying our approach to study the genetic basis of mental health in pigs as a case, we confirmed that our framework is an effective way to reveal genetic factors affecting animal mental health traits, which contributes to animal welfare and has potential implications for understanding human mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyun Jiang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Lingyao Xu
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Yizheng Zhuang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Xingyu Wei
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Zhenyang Zhang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Wei Zhao
- SciGene Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hefei 230031, China;
| | - Qingyu Wang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Xiaowei Ye
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Jiamin Gu
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Caiyun Cao
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Jiabao Sun
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Kan He
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China;
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Centre, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
| | - Qishan Wang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Sanya 572025, China
| | - Yuchun Pan
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Sanya 572025, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (J.J.); (L.X.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (X.Y.); (J.G.); (C.C.); (J.S.); (Z.Z.); (Q.W.); (Y.P.)
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