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Jamwal S, Jena MK, Tyagi N, Kancharla S, Kolli P, Mandadapu G, Kumar S, Mohanty AK. Proteomic Approaches to Unravel the Molecular Dynamics of Early Pregnancy in Farm Animals: An In-Depth Review. J Dev Biol 2023; 12:2. [PMID: 38248867 PMCID: PMC10801625 DOI: 10.3390/jdb12010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Infertility is a major problem in farm animals, which has a negative economic effect on farm industries. Infertility can be defined as the inability of animals to achieve a successful pregnancy. Early pregnancy is crucial to establish a successful pregnancy, and it is reported that 70-80% and 20-30% of total embryonic loss occur in cattle and pigs, respectively, during the first month of pregnancy. The advanced high-throughput proteomics techniques provide valuable tools for in-depth understanding of the implantation process in farm animals. In the present review, our goal was to compile, assess, and integrate the latest proteomic research on farm animals, specifically focused on female reproduction, which involves endometrial tissues, uterine fluids, oviductal fluids, and microRNAs. The series of studies has provided in-depth insights into the events of the implantation process by unfolding the molecular landscape of the uterine tract. The discussed data are related to pregnant vs. non-pregnant animals, pregnancy vs. oestrous cycle, different days of the early pregnancy phase, and animals with uterine infections affecting reproduction health. Some of the studies have utilized non-invasive methods and in vitro models to decipher the molecular events of embryo-maternal interaction. The proteomics data are valuable sources for discovering biomarkers for infertility in ruminants and new regulatory pathways governing embryo-uterine interaction, endometrium receptivity, and embryonic development. Here, we envisage that the identified protein signatures can serve as potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers to develop new therapeutics against pregnancy diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shradha Jamwal
- Proteomics and Structural Biology Lab, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India; (S.J.); (N.T.); (S.K.)
| | - Manoj Kumar Jena
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India;
| | - Nikunj Tyagi
- Proteomics and Structural Biology Lab, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India; (S.J.); (N.T.); (S.K.)
| | - Sudhakar Kancharla
- Devansh Lab Werks, 234 Aquarius Drive, Homewood, AL 35209, USA; (S.K.); (G.M.)
| | - Prachetha Kolli
- Microgen Health Inc., 14225 Sullyfield Cir Suite E, Chantilly, VA 20151, USA;
| | - Gowtham Mandadapu
- Devansh Lab Werks, 234 Aquarius Drive, Homewood, AL 35209, USA; (S.K.); (G.M.)
| | - Sudarshan Kumar
- Proteomics and Structural Biology Lab, Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India; (S.J.); (N.T.); (S.K.)
| | - Ashok Kumar Mohanty
- ICAR–Central Institute for Research on Cattle, Meerut Cantt 250001, Uttar Pradesh, India
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2
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Kertz NC, Banerjee P, Dyce PW, Diniz WJS. Harnessing Genomics and Transcriptomics Approaches to Improve Female Fertility in Beef Cattle-A Review. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3284. [PMID: 37894009 PMCID: PMC10603720 DOI: 10.3390/ani13203284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Female fertility is the foundation of the cow-calf industry, impacting both efficiency and profitability. Reproductive failure is the primary reason why beef cows are sold in the U.S. and the cause of an estimated annual gross loss of USD 2.8 billion. In this review, we discuss the status of the genomics, transcriptomics, and systems genomics approaches currently applied to female fertility and the tools available to cow-calf producers to maximize genetic progress. We highlight the opportunities and limitations associated with using genomic and transcriptomic approaches to discover genes and regulatory mechanisms related to beef fertility. Considering the complex nature of fertility, significant advances in precision breeding will rely on holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to further advance our ability to understand, predict, and improve reproductive performance. While these technologies have advanced our knowledge, the next step is to translate research findings from bench to on-farm applications.
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3
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Ye J, Yan X, Zhang W, Lu J, Xu S, Li X, Qin P, Gong X, Liu Y, Ling Y, Li Y, Zhang Y, Fang F. Integrative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis in the female goat hypothalamus to study the onset of puberty. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:621. [PMID: 37853328 PMCID: PMC10583467 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09705-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Puberty marks the end of childhood and achieve sexual maturation and fertility. The role of hypothalamic proteins in regulating puberty onset is unclear. We performed a comprehensive differential proteomics and phosphoproteomics analysis in prepubertal and pubertal goats to determine the roles of hypothalamic proteins and phosphoproteins during the onset of puberty. RESULTS We used peptide and posttranslational modifications peptide quantification and statistical analyses, and identified 69 differentially expressed proteins from 5,057 proteins and 576 differentially expressed phosphopeptides from 1574 phosphorylated proteins. Combined proteomic and phosphoproteomics, 759 correlated proteins were identified, of which 5 were differentially expressed only at the protein level, and 201 were only differentially expressed at the phosphoprotein level. Pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the majority of correlated proteins were associated with glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, focal adhesion, GABAergic synapse, and Rap1 signaling pathway. These pathways are related to cell proliferation, neurocyte migration, and promoting the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus. CTNNB1 occupied important locations in the protein-protein interaction network and is involved in focal adhesion. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate that the proteins differentially expression only at the protein level or only differentially expressed at the phosphoprotein level and their related signalling pathways are crucial in regulating puberty in goats. These differentially expressed proteins and phosphorylated proteins may constitute the proteomic backgrounds between the two different stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Ye
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xu Yan
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Juntai Lu
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Shuangshuang Xu
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoqian Li
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Ping Qin
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xinbao Gong
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Ya Liu
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yinghui Ling
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yunsheng Li
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yunhai Zhang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Fugui Fang
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China.
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China.
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4
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Hajjo R, Momani E, Sabbah DA, Baker N, Tropsha A. Identifying a causal link between prolactin signaling pathways and COVID-19 vaccine-induced menstrual changes. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:129. [PMID: 37658087 PMCID: PMC10474200 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00719-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines have been instrumental tools in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 helping to reduce disease severity and mortality. At the same time, just like any other therapeutic, COVID-19 vaccines were associated with adverse events. Women have reported menstrual cycle irregularity after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and this led to renewed fears concerning COVID-19 vaccines and their effects on fertility. Herein we devised an informatics workflow to explore the causal drivers of menstrual cycle irregularity in response to vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2. Our methods relied on gene expression analysis in response to vaccination, followed by network biology analysis to derive testable hypotheses regarding the causal links between BNT162b2 and menstrual cycle irregularity. Five high-confidence transcription factors were identified as causal drivers of BNT162b2-induced menstrual irregularity, namely: IRF1, STAT1, RelA (p65 NF-kB subunit), STAT2 and IRF3. Furthermore, some biomarkers of menstrual irregularity, including TNF, IL6R, IL6ST, LIF, BIRC3, FGF2, ARHGDIB, RPS3, RHOU, MIF, were identified as topological genes and predicted as causal drivers of menstrual irregularity. Our network-based mechanism reconstruction results indicated that BNT162b2 exerted biological effects similar to those resulting from prolactin signaling. However, these effects were short-lived and didn't raise concerns about long-term infertility issues. This approach can be applied to interrogate the functional links between drugs/vaccines and other side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rima Hajjo
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, P.O. Box 130, Amman, 11733, Jordan.
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Jordan CDC, Amman, Jordan.
| | - Ensaf Momani
- Department of Basic Medical sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Al Balqa' Applied University, Al-Salt, Jordan
- Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Dima A Sabbah
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, P.O. Box 130, Amman, 11733, Jordan
| | - Nancy Baker
- ParlezChem, 123 W Union St., Hillsborough, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Alexander Tropsha
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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5
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Fortes MRS, Pegolo S. Editorial: Application of Omics Technologies to improve robustness and resilience in livestock species. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1224630. [PMID: 37470074 PMCID: PMC10352939 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1224630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Pegolo
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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6
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Ault-Seay TB, Moorey SE, Mathew DJ, Schrick FN, Pohler KG, McLean KJ, Myer PR. Importance of the female reproductive tract microbiome and its relationship with the uterine environment for health and productivity in cattle: A review. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2023.1111636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Once thought to be sterile, the reproductive tract microbiome has been characterized due to the transition from culture-dependent identification of bacteria to culture-independent sequencing methods. The urogenital microbiome was first identified in women through the Human Microbiome Project, which led to research in other species such as the bovine. Previous research focused on uterine bacteria associated with postpartum disease, but next generation sequencing methods identified a normal, healthy bacterial community of the reproductive tract of cows and heifers. Bacterial communities are now understood to differ between the uterus and vagina, and throughout the estrous cycle with changes in hormone dominance. In a healthy state, the bacterial communities largely interact with the uterine environment by assisting in maintaining the proper pH, providing and utilizing nutrients and metabolites, and influencing the immunological responses of the reproductive tract. If the bacterial communities become unbalanced due to an increase in potentially pathogenic bacteria, the health and fertility of the host may be affected. Although the presence of a reproductive tract microbiome has become widely accepted, the existence of a placental microbiome and in utero colonization of the fetus is still a popular debate due to conflicting study results. Currently, researchers are evaluating methods to manipulate the reproductive bacterial communities, such as diet changes and utilizing probiotics, to improve reproductive outcomes. The following review discusses the current understanding of the reproductive tract microbiome, how it differs between humans and cattle, and its relationship with the uterine environment.
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7
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Qin P, Ye J, Gong X, Yan X, Lin M, Lin T, Liu T, Li H, Wang X, Zhu Y, Li X, Liu Y, Li Y, Ling Y, Zhang X, Fang F. Quantitative proteomics analysis to assess protein expression levels in the ovaries of pubescent goats. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:507. [PMID: 35831802 PMCID: PMC9281040 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08699-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Changes in the abundance of ovarian proteins play a key role in the regulation of reproduction. However, to date, no studies have investigated such changes in pubescent goats. Herein we applied isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the expression levels of ovarian proteins in pre-pubertal (n = 3) and pubertal (n = 3) goats. Results Overall, 7,550 proteins were recognized; 301 (176 up- and 125 downregulated) were identified as differentially abundant proteins (DAPs). Five DAPs were randomly selected for expression level validation by Western blotting; the results of Western blotting and iTRAQ analysis were consistent. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that DAPs were enriched in olfactory transduction, glutathione metabolism, and calcium signaling pathways. Besides, gene ontology functional enrichment analysis revealed that several DAPs enriched in biological processes were associated with cellular process, biological regulation, metabolic process, and response to stimulus. Protein–protein interaction network showed that proteins interacting with CDK1, HSPA1A, and UCK2 were the most abundant. Conclusions We identified 301 DAPs, which were enriched in olfactory transduction, glutathione metabolism, and calcium signaling pathways, suggesting the involvement of these processes in the onset of puberty. Further studies are warranted to more comprehensively explore the function of the identified DAPs and aforementioned signaling pathways to gain novel, deeper insights into the mechanisms underlying the onset of puberty. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08699-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Qin
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Jing Ye
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Xinbao Gong
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Xu Yan
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Maosen Lin
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Tong Liu
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Hailing Li
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Xiujuan Wang
- Animal Husbandry Development Center, Huoqiu Animal Health Supervision Institute, Huoqiu County, Auditorium Road, Luan, 237400, Anhui, China
| | - Yanyun Zhu
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoqian Li
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Ya Liu
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Yunsheng Li
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Yinghui Ling
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaorong Zhang
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China
| | - Fugui Fang
- Department of Animal Veterinary Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China. .,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.
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8
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Ault-Seay TB, Brandt KJ, Henniger MT, Payton RR, Mathew DJ, Moorey SE, Schrick FN, Pohler KG, Smith TPL, Rhinehart JD, Schneider LG, McLean KJ, Myer PR. Bacterial Communities of the Uterus and Rumen During Heifer Development With Protein Supplementation. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2022.903909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial communities play major roles in rumen and uterine function toward optimal animal performance and may be affected by changes occurring during heifer development such as nutritional supplementation for optimal growth and the attainment of puberty. The effect of different levels of protein supplementation on ruminal and uterine bacterial communities following weaning was examined through first breeding of heifers. Angus heifers (n = 39) were blocked by initial body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to one of three 163-day (d) crude protein (CP) supplementation diets including control (10% CP, n = 14), 20% CP (n = 11), or 40% CP (n = 14) treatment groups. Growth and development were monitored by body weight, with blood progesterone concentration determined every 14 d to determine pubertal status. Uterine flush and rumen fluid were collected on d 56, 112, and 163 relative to the start of supplementation. Bacterial DNA was extracted from fluid samples, the V1–V3 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified, and amplicons were sequenced then processed in R 4.1. Statistical analyses were performed in SAS 9.4 with a GLIMMIX procedure utilizing fixed effects of protein, month, pubertal status, and interactions, with random effects including BW, interaction of BW and protein, and heifer within the interaction, and repeated measures of day. In the uterus, pubertal status and day of supplementation affected the observed amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and led to clustering of samples in a principal coordinate analysis (PCoA; P < 0.05), but no effect of protein supplementation was observed. Ruminal samples clustered in PCoA (P = 0.001), and observed ASVs were impacted over time (P < 0.0001), but no effect of protein supplementation was detected. In contrast, protein supplementation, pubertal status, and day of supplementation affected the abundance of multiple phyla and genera in the uterus and rumen (P < 0.05). Temporal and pubertal status effects on the heifer’s uterine bacterial communities potentially indicate a maturing uterine microbiome. Protein supplementation did not impact microbial diversity measures but did affect the abundance of individual bacterial phyla and genera that may provide future opportunities to manipulate bacterial community composition and maximize productivity.
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Duarte INH, Bessa AFDO, Rola LD, Genuíno MVH, Rocha IM, Marcondes CR, Regitano LCDA, Munari DP, Berry DP, Buzanskas ME. Cross-population selection signatures in Canchim composite beef cattle. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264279. [PMID: 35363779 PMCID: PMC8975110 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Analyses of livestock genomes have been used to detect selection signatures, which are genomic regions associated with traits under selection leading to a change in allele frequency. The objective of the present study was to characterize selection signatures in Canchim composite beef cattle using cross-population analyses with the founder Nelore and Charolais breeds. High-density single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes were available on 395 Canchim representing the target population, along with genotypes from 809 Nelore and 897 Charolais animals representing the reference populations. Most of the selection signatures were co-located with genes whose functions agree with the expectations of the breeding programs; these genes have previously been reported to associate with meat quality, as well as reproductive traits. Identified genes were related to immunity, adaptation, morphology, as well as behavior, could give new perspectives for understanding the genetic architecture of Canchim. Some selection signatures identified genes that were recently introduced in Canchim, such as the loci related to the polled trait.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luciana Diniz Rola
- Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil
| | | | - Iasmin Marques Rocha
- Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil
| | | | | | - Danísio Prado Munari
- Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Donagh Pearse Berry
- Teagasc, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy Co. Cork., Ireland
| | - Marcos Eli Buzanskas
- Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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10
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Proteomic analysis of hypothalamus in prepubertal and pubertal female goat. J Proteomics 2022; 251:104411. [PMID: 34728423 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2021.104411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The functions of proteins at the onset of puberty in goats remain largely unexplored. To identify the proteins regulating puberty in goats, we analysed protein abundance and pathways in the hypothalamus of female goats. We applied tandem mass tag (TMT) labelling, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) to examine hypothalamus of pubertal (cases; n = 3) and prepubertal (controls; n = 3) goats. We identified 5119 proteins, including 69 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs), of which 35 were upregulated and 34 were downregulated. Fourteen DAPs were randomly selected to verify these results using PRM, and the results were consistent with the TMT quantitative results. DAPs were enriched in MAPK signalling pathway, Ras signalling pathway, Autophagy-animal, Endocytosis, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway categories. These pathways are related to embryogenesis, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and promoting the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the hypothalamus. In particular, PDGFRβ and MAP3K7 occupied important locations in the protein-protein interaction network. The results demonstrate that DAPs and their related signalling pathways are crucial in regulating puberty in goats. However, further research is needed to explore the functions of DAPs and their pathways to provide new insights into the mechanism of puberty onset. SIGNIFICANCE: In domestic animals, reaching the age of puberty is an event that contributes significantly to lifetime reproductive potential. And the hypothalamus functions directly in the complex systemic changes that control puberty. Our study was the first TMT proteomics analysis on hypothalamus tissues of pubertal goats, which revealed the changes of protein and pathways that are related to the onset of puberty. We identified 69 DAPs, which were enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway, the Ras signaling pathway, and the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, suggesting that these processes were probably involved in the onset of puberty.
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Sustainable Intensification of Beef Production in the Tropics: The Role of Genetically Improving Sexual Precocity of Heifers. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12020174. [PMID: 35049797 PMCID: PMC8772995 DOI: 10.3390/ani12020174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Tropical pasture-based beef production systems play a vital role in global food security. The importance of promoting sustainable intensification of such systems has been debated worldwide. Demand for beef is growing together with concerns over the impact of its production on the environment. Implementing sustainable livestock intensification programs relies on animal genetic improvement. In tropical areas, the lack of sexual precocity is a bottleneck for cattle efficiency, directly impacting the sustainability of production systems. In the present review we present and discuss the state of the art of genetic evaluation for sexual precocity in Bos indicus beef cattle, covering the definition of measurable traits, genetic parameter estimates, genomic analyses, and a case study of selection for sexual precocity in Nellore breeding programs. Abstract Increasing productivity through continued animal genetic improvement is a crucial part of implementing sustainable livestock intensification programs. In Zebu cattle, the lack of sexual precocity is one of the main obstacles to improving beef production efficiency. Puberty-related traits are complex, but large-scale data sets from different “omics” have provided information on specific genes and biological processes with major effects on the expression of such traits, which can greatly increase animal genetic evaluation. In addition, genetic parameter estimates and genomic predictions involving sexual precocity indicator traits and productive, reproductive, and feed-efficiency related traits highlighted the feasibility and importance of direct selection for anticipating heifer reproductive life. Indeed, the case study of selection for sexual precocity in Nellore breeding programs presented here show that, in 12 years of selection for female early precocity and improved management practices, the phenotypic means of age at first calving showed a strong decreasing trend, changing from nearly 34 to less than 28 months, with a genetic trend of almost −2 days/year. In this period, the percentage of early pregnancy in the herds changed from around 10% to more than 60%, showing that the genetic improvement of heifer’s sexual precocity allows optimizing the productive cycle by reducing the number of unproductive animals in the herd. It has a direct impact on sustainability by better use of resources. Genomic selection breeding programs accounting for genotype by environment interaction represent promising tools for accelerating genetic progress for sexual precocity in tropical beef cattle.
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Fonseca PAS, Schenkel FS, Cánovas A. Genome-wide association study using haplotype libraries and repeated measures model to identify candidate genomic regions for stillbirth in Holstein cattle. J Dairy Sci 2022; 105:1314-1326. [PMID: 34998559 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-20936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Reduced fertility is one of the main causes of economic losses on dairy farms, resulting in economic losses estimated at $938 per stillbirth case in Holstein herds. The identification of genomic regions associated with stillbirth could help to develop better management and breeding strategies aimed to reduce the frequency of undesirable gestation outcomes. Here, 10,570 cows and 50,541 birth records were used to perform a haplotype-based GWAS. A total of 41 significantly associated pseudo-SNPs (haplotypes within haplotype blocks converted to a binary classification) were identified after Bonferroni adjustment for multiple tests. A total of 117 positional candidate genes were annotated within or close (in a 200-kb interval) to significant pseudo-SNPs (haplotype blocks). The guilt-by-association functional prioritization identified 31 potential functional candidate genes for reproductive performance out of the 117 positional candidate genes annotated. These genes play crucial roles in biological processes associated with pregnancy persistence, fetus development, immune response, among others. These results helped us to better understand the genetic basis of stillbirth in dairy cattle and may be useful for the prediction of stillbirth in Holstein cattle, helping to reduce the related economic losses caused by this phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A S Fonseca
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - F S Schenkel
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - A Cánovas
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Tahir MS, Porto-Neto LR, Gondro C, Shittu OB, Wockner K, Tan AWL, Smith HR, Gouveia GC, Kour J, Fortes MRS. Meta-Analysis of Heifer Traits Identified Reproductive Pathways in Bos indicus Cattle. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:768. [PMID: 34069992 PMCID: PMC8157873 DOI: 10.3390/genes12050768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fertility traits measured early in life define the reproductive potential of heifers. Knowledge of genetics and biology can help devise genomic selection methods to improve heifer fertility. In this study, we used ~2400 Brahman cattle to perform GWAS and multi-trait meta-analysis to determine genomic regions associated with heifer fertility. Heifer traits measured were pregnancy at first mating opportunity (PREG1, a binary trait), first conception score (FCS, score 1 to 3) and rebreeding score (REB, score 1 to 3.5). The heritability estimates were 0.17 (0.03) for PREG1, 0.11 (0.05) for FCS and 0.28 (0.05) for REB. The three traits were highly genetically correlated (0.75-0.83) as expected. Meta-analysis was performed using SNP effects estimated for each of the three traits, adjusted for standard error. We identified 1359 significant SNPs (p-value < 9.9 × 10-6 at FDR < 0.0001) in the multi-trait meta-analysis. Genomic regions of 0.5 Mb around each significant SNP from the meta-analysis were annotated to create a list of 2560 positional candidate genes. The most significant SNP was in the vicinity of a genomic region on chromosome 8, encompassing the genes SLC44A1, FSD1L, FKTN, TAL2 and TMEM38B. The genomic region in humans that contains homologs of these genes is associated with age at puberty in girls. Top significant SNPs pointed to additional fertility-related genes, again within a 0.5 Mb region, including ESR2, ITPR1, GNG2, RGS9BP, ANKRD27, TDRD12, GRM1, MTHFD1, PTGDR and NTNG1. Functional pathway enrichment analysis resulted in many positional candidate genes relating to known fertility pathways, including GnRH signaling, estrogen signaling, progesterone mediated oocyte maturation, cAMP signaling, calcium signaling, glutamatergic signaling, focal adhesion, PI3K-AKT signaling and ovarian steroidogenesis pathway. The comparison of results from this study with previous transcriptomics and proteomics studies on puberty of the same cattle breed (Brahman) but in a different population identified 392 genes in common from which some genes-BRAF, GABRA2, GABR1B, GAD1, FSHR, CNGA3, PDE10A, SNAP25, ESR2, GRIA2, ORAI1, EGFR, CHRNA5, VDAC2, ACVR2B, ORAI3, CYP11A1, GRIN2A, ATP2B3, CAMK2A, PLA2G, CAMK2D and MAPK3-are also part of the above-mentioned pathways. The biological functions of the positional candidate genes and their annotation to known pathways allowed integrating the results into a bigger picture of molecular mechanisms related to puberty in the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis. A reasonable number of genes, common between previous puberty studies and this study on early reproductive traits, corroborates the proposed molecular mechanisms. This study identified the polymorphism associated with early reproductive traits, and candidate genes that provided a visualization of the proposed mechanisms, coordinating the hypothalamic, pituitary, and ovarian functions for reproductive performance in Brahman cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad S. Tahir
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.T.); (O.B.S.); (K.W.); (A.W.L.T.); (H.R.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Laercio R. Porto-Neto
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia;
| | - Cedric Gondro
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
| | - Olasege B. Shittu
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.T.); (O.B.S.); (K.W.); (A.W.L.T.); (H.R.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Kimberley Wockner
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.T.); (O.B.S.); (K.W.); (A.W.L.T.); (H.R.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Andre W. L. Tan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.T.); (O.B.S.); (K.W.); (A.W.L.T.); (H.R.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Hugo R. Smith
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.T.); (O.B.S.); (K.W.); (A.W.L.T.); (H.R.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Gabriela C. Gouveia
- Animal Science Department, Veterinary School, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil;
| | - Jagish Kour
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.T.); (O.B.S.); (K.W.); (A.W.L.T.); (H.R.S.); (J.K.)
| | - Marina R. S. Fortes
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.T.); (O.B.S.); (K.W.); (A.W.L.T.); (H.R.S.); (J.K.)
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Coagulation factor IX analysis in bioreactor cell culture supernatant predicts quality of the purified product. Commun Biol 2021; 4:390. [PMID: 33758337 PMCID: PMC7988164 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01903-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coagulation factor IX (FIX) is a complex post-translationally modified human serum glycoprotein and high-value biopharmaceutical. The quality of recombinant FIX (rFIX), especially complete γ-carboxylation, is critical for rFIX clinical efficacy. Bioreactor operating conditions can impact rFIX production and post-translational modifications (PTMs). With the goal of optimizing rFIX production, we developed a suite of Data Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry (DIA-MS) proteomics methods and used these to investigate rFIX yield, γ-carboxylation, other PTMs, and host cell proteins during bioreactor culture and after purification. We detail the dynamics of site-specific PTM occupancy and structure on rFIX during production, which correlated with the efficiency of purification and the quality of the purified product. We identified new PTMs in rFIX near the GLA domain which could impact rFIX GLA-dependent purification and function. Our workflows are applicable to other biologics and expression systems, and should aid in the optimization and quality control of upstream and downstream bioprocesses.
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Alexandre PA, Hudson NJ, Lehnert SA, Fortes MRS, Naval-Sánchez M, Nguyen LT, Porto-Neto LR, Reverter A. Genome-Wide Co-Expression Distributions as a Metric to Prioritize Genes of Functional Importance. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E1231. [PMID: 33092259 PMCID: PMC7593939 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide gene expression analysis are routinely used to gain a systems-level understanding of complex processes, including network connectivity. Network connectivity tends to be built on a small subset of extremely high co-expression signals that are deemed significant, but this overlooks the vast majority of pairwise signals. Here, we developed a computational pipeline to assign to every gene its pair-wise genome-wide co-expression distribution to one of 8 template distributions shapes varying between unimodal, bimodal, skewed, or symmetrical, representing different proportions of positive and negative correlations. We then used a hypergeometric test to determine if specific genes (regulators versus non-regulators) and properties (differentially expressed or not) are associated with a particular distribution shape. We applied our methodology to five publicly available RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets from four organisms in different physiological conditions and tissues. Our results suggest that genes can be assigned consistently to pre-defined distribution shapes, regarding the enrichment of differential expression and regulatory genes, in situations involving contrasting phenotypes, time-series, or physiological baseline data. There is indeed a striking additional biological signal present in the genome-wide distribution of co-expression values which would be overlooked by currently adopted approaches. Our method can be applied to extract further information from transcriptomic data and help uncover the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of complex biological process and phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pâmela A. Alexandre
- CSIRO Agriculture & Food, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia; (S.A.L.); (L.R.P.-N.); (A.R.)
| | - Nicholas J. Hudson
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia;
| | - Sigrid A. Lehnert
- CSIRO Agriculture & Food, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia; (S.A.L.); (L.R.P.-N.); (A.R.)
| | - Marina R. S. Fortes
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia;
| | - Marina Naval-Sánchez
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia;
| | - Loan T. Nguyen
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia;
| | - Laercio R. Porto-Neto
- CSIRO Agriculture & Food, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia; (S.A.L.); (L.R.P.-N.); (A.R.)
| | - Antonio Reverter
- CSIRO Agriculture & Food, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia; (S.A.L.); (L.R.P.-N.); (A.R.)
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Tahir MS, Nguyen LT, Schulz BL, Boe-Hansen GA, Thomas MG, Moore SS, Lau LY, Fortes MRS. Proteomics Recapitulates Ovarian Proteins Relevant to Puberty and Fertility in Brahman Heifers ( Bos indicus L.). Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:E923. [PMID: 31726744 PMCID: PMC6895798 DOI: 10.3390/genes10110923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
High fertility and early puberty in Bos indicus heifers are desirable and genetically correlated traits in beef production. The hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis synthesizes steroid hormones, which contribute to the shift from the pre-pubertal state into the post-pubertal state and influence subsequent fertility. Understanding variations in abundance of proteins that govern steroid synthesis and ovarian signaling pathways remains crucial to understanding puberty and fertility. We used whole ovaries of six pre-pubertal and six post-pubertal Brahman heifers to conduct differential abundance analyses of protein profiles between the two physiological states. Extracted proteins were digested into peptides followed by identification and quantification with massspectrometry (MS) by sequential window acquisition of all instances of theoretical fragment ion mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS). MS and statistical analysis identified 566 significantly differentially abundant (DA) proteins (adjusted p < 0.05), which were then analyzed for gene ontology and pathway enrichment. Our data indicated an up-regulation of steroidogenic proteins contributing to progesterone synthesis at luteal phase post-puberty. Proteins related to progesterone signaling, TGF-β, retinoic acid, extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton, and pleiotrophin signaling were DA in this study. The DA proteins probably relate to the formation and function of the corpus luteum, which is only present after ovulation, post-puberty. Some DA proteins might also be related to granulosa cells signaling, which regulates oocyte maturation or arrest in ovaries prior to ovulation. Ten DA proteins were coded by genes previously associated with reproductive traits according to the animal quantitative trait loci (QTL) database. In conclusion, the DA proteins and their pathways were related to ovarian activity in Bos indicus cattle. The genes that code for these proteins may explain some known QTLs and could be targeted in future genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad S. Tahir
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
| | - Loan T. Nguyen
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (L.T.N.); (S.S.M.)
| | - Benjamin L. Schulz
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
| | - Gry A. Boe-Hansen
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4343, Queensland, Australia;
| | - Milton G. Thomas
- Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;
| | - Stephen S. Moore
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (L.T.N.); (S.S.M.)
| | - Li Yieng Lau
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
| | - Marina R. S. Fortes
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia; (M.S.T.); (B.L.S.); (L.Y.L.)
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