Identification and Characterization of Circular RNAs in Association With the Deposition of Intramuscular Fat in Aohan Fine-Wool Sheep

Aohan fine-wool sheep (AFWS) is a high-quality fine-wool sheep breed that supplies wool and meat. Research is needed on the molecular mechanism behind intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition that greatly improves mutton quality. The widely expressed non-coding RNA is physiologically used in roles such as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that includes circular RNAs (circRNAs). Although circRNAs were studied in many fields, little research was devoted to IMF in sheep. We used the longissimus dorsi muscle of 2 and 12-month-old AWFS as research material to identify circRNAs related to IMF deposition in these sheep by RNA-seq screening for differentially expressed circRNAs in the two age groups. A total of 11,565 candidate circRNAs were identified, of which the 104 differentially expressed circRNAs in the two age groups were analyzed. Enrichment analysis was performed using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. The enriched pathways included lipid transport (GO:0006869), negative regulation of canonical Wnt signaling pathway (GO:0090090), fat digestion and absorption (ko04975), and sphingolipid metabolism (ko00600). The differentially expressed circRNAs included ciRNA455, circRNA9086, circRNA7445, circRNA4557, and others. The source genes involved in these pathways might regulate IMF deposition. We used the TargetScan and miRanda software for interaction analysis, and a network diagram of circRNA-miRNA interactions was created. CircRNA455-miR-127, circRNA455-miR-29a, circRNA455-miR-103, circRNA4557-mir149-5p, and circRNA2440-mir-23a might be involved in the IMF deposition process. The targeting relationship of circRNA4557-miR-149-5p was verified by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. The RT-qPCR results of seven randomly selected circRNAs were consistent with the sequencing results. This study provides additional information on circRNA regulation of IMF deposition in AFWS and is a useful resource for future research on this sheep breed.

IMPROVEMENT OF MEAT QUALITIES OF KAZAKH MEAT-WOOL SEMI-FINE SHEEP BY USING THE ROMNEY-MARSH BREED

This article presents the results of the first stage of research work on the use of the Romney March gene pool of sheep breed based on the laparascopic method of insemination of Kazakh meat-wool semi-fine sheep. The work was performed within the framework of scientific and technical program: "Development of effective methods of selection by branches of animal husbandry for 2018-2020", on task "Development of effective methods of selection in sheep breeding (application of genetics of Romney marsh breed).

The Branching Pattern of the Nervus Ischiadicus after Passing through the Foramen Ischiadicum Majus in Hasak Sheep Breed

Background: Hasak is a sheep breed, developed as a result of crossbreeding studies at Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute. The aim of this study was to examine the macroanatomical structure of the nervus ischiadicus outside the cavum pelvis in Hasak sheep breed. Methods: 5 Hasak sheep were used for this study. After opening the body cavities of the cadavers, they were fixed in formaldehyde solution. The branches of the nervus ischiadicus were dissected separately and photographed. Result: It was observed that nervus ischiadicus was emitting nervus gluteus caudalis immediately after leaving the foramen ischiadicum majus. After this branching nervus ischiadicus coursed ventrally and it was divided into two nerves: nervus tibialis and the common root of nervus peroneus communis and nervus cutaneus surae caudalis.

MENILIK PERTUNJUKAN ADU DOMBA DI PRIANGAN PADA MASA KOLONIAL

Adu domba sangat populer di Priangan, khususnya di wilayah Garut. Popularitas adu domba (Garut) tidak bisa dilepaskan dari historisitasnya. Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk mempertanyakan kemunculan domba Garut serta pertunjukan adu domba pada awal perkembangannya. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode sejarah, dengan memanfaatkan sumber berupa buku dan koran yang diproduksi pada masa kolonial. Temuan utama penelitian ini ialah kemunculan jenis domba Garut dilatarbelakangi impor domba yang diinisiasi oleh K.F. Holle untuk tujuan budidaya wol. Kawin silang domba impor dan domba lokal menghasilkan jenis domba petarung yang lazim disebut domba Garut. Pertunjukan adu domba muncul dari kebiasaan masyarakat pribumi dalam mengadu binatang, hingga berkembang menjadi hiburan yang sering diselenggarakan pada setiap event besar. Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah sebagai domba petarung, domba Garut muncul dari ‘ketidaksengajaan’ hingga menjadi populer sejak akhir abad ke-19, dengan diiringi berbagai kecaman dari perspektif orang Eropa perihal esensi permainannya. Fighting sheep is very popular in Priangan, especially in the Garut region. The popularity of fighting sheep can't be separated from the history that lies behind it. This research is intended to answer the questions about the emergence of Garut sheep and sheep fighting show at the beginning of its development. The method used in this research is the historical method by utilizing sources of books and newspapers produced during the colonial period. The main finding of this study is that the emergence of the Garut sheep breed was motivated by the import of sheep initiated by K.F. Holle for wool cultivation purposes. The crossbreeding of imported sheep and local sheep has resulted in the type of fighting sheep which is now commonly referred to as Garut sheep. The fighting sheep show itself emerged from the indigenous people's habit of fighting animals which later developed into an entertainment that was often held at every major event. The conclusion of this study is that Garut sheep as fighting sheep emerged from an 'accidental habits' and then became popular since the late 19th century. On the other hand, it has also drawn criticism from the perspective of Europeans who are concerned about the essence of the fighting sheep.

Estimation of Population-Specific Genetic Parameters Important for Long-Term Optimum Contribution Selection—Case Study on a Dairy Istrian Sheep Breed

The Istrian sheep breed has been subjected to selection for dairy traits for more than two decades. However, a detailed study of some important population-specific parameters such as effective population size (Ne) and connectedness between flocks has never been carried out. The aim of the study was to examine the above parameters in dairy Istrian sheep subjected to a national selection program. The Ne was estimated as the mean rate of increase in coancestry, and connectedness was determined using four different statistics. The Ne was estimated at 73 animals with pedigree constraints imposed on 4 equivalent generations and 3 full generations. Analysis of ΔNe (“sliding window approach”) revealed a negative ΔNe indicating a progressive loss of genetic variability (ΔNeNEG≥4 = −6.6, p < 0.01; ΔNeNFG≥3 = −4.9, p > 0.05). The overall connectedness (r¯ ~ 0.0001) was below the acceptable level for unbiased ranking of the animals belonging to different flocks (ri,j = 0.05). OCS appears to be the best option for the long-term survival (self-sufficiency) of the breed, but genetic links between flocks need to be strengthened to allow unbiased ranking of the animals based on the estimated breeding values.

Genetic evaluation of producers of Kulunda fine-wool sheep breed by the quality of progeny

The authors have studied the genetic value of producers of the aboriginal Kulunda finewool sheep breed based on various analysis methods of the productivity of their progeny. The data on 574 offspring (daughters) received from 16 rams-producers of the “Steptoe” breeding farm of Altai Krai were used in the research. The genotypes of ram progeny were evaluated by the productivity of the rams at one year of age. In assessing the fathers, the number of effective daughters needed to confirm a sufficient number of offspring was calculated. Water, soil, and feed were tested for heavy metals content in the sheep breeding area, which did not exceed the MPC (Maximum Permissible Concentration). The breeding indices of the progeny ranged from 114 to 1562. The live weight of the rams was 120 kg. The live weight of the daughters was 50.0 kg. The sheep (daughters) had a wool gain of 5.7 kilograms per ewe. The authors established a high homogeneity of the genotypes of rams producers in terms of the live weight of daughters. The genetic variability of the fathers was 3.2%. According to productivity indices, the rams-producers (#4452, 26133, 3611, 0125 and 44244) occupied the first five ranks. The effect of the genotypes of ram producers on the daughters’ live weight and wool hair gain was established. The ranking data showed the advantage of daughters in several traits obtained from prepotent producers. The authors suggest that ram sires no. 3611, 0125, 26133 and 44244 should be used extensively to improve breeding efficiency. The authors also applied the Hozo method in the absence of normal distribution of traits. In other cases, data processing by methods of variation statistics was used.

Genome-Wide SNP Analysis for Milk Performance Traits in Indigenous Sheep: A Case Study in the Egyptian Barki Sheep

Sheep milk yield and milk composition traits play an important role in supplying newborn lambs with essential components such as amino acids, energy, vitamins and immune antibodies and are also of interest in terms of the nutritional value of the milk for human consumption. The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions and candidate genes for milk yield and milk composition traits through genome-wide SNP analyses between high and low performing ewes of the Egyptian Barki sheep breed, which is well adapted to the harsh conditions of North-East Africa. Therefore, out of a herd of 111 ewes of the Egyptian Barki sheep breed (IBD = 0.08), ewes representing extremes in milk yield and milk quality traits (n = 25 for each group of animals) were genotyped using the Illumina OvineSNP50 V2 BeadChip. The fixation index (FST) for each SNP was calculated between the diversified groups. FST values were Z-transformed and used to identify putative SNPs for further analysis (Z(FST) > 10). Genome-wide SNP analysis revealed genomic regions covering promising candidate genes related to milk performance traits such as SLC5A8, NUB1, TBC1D1, KLF3 and ABHD5 for milk yield and PPARA and FBLN1 genes for milk quality trait. The results of this study may contribute to the genetic improvement of milk performance traits in Barki sheep breed and to the general understanding of the genetic contribution to variability in milk yield and quality traits.