Kang Zihong, Jiang Enhui, Wang Ke, Pan Chuanying, Chen Hong, Yan Hailong, Zhu Haijing, Liu Jinwang, Qu Lei, Lan Xianyong
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China.
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Shaanxi Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Cashmere Goats, Yulin University, Yulin, Shaanxi, 719000, PR China; Life Science Research Center, Yulin University, Yulin, Shaanxi, 719000, PR China.
Theriogenology. 2019 Apr 1;128:8-16. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.01.014. Epub 2019 Jan 19.
Membrane-associated ring-CH-type finger 1 (MARCH1), which mediates the ubiquitination of CD86 and MHC class II proteins, plays crucial roles in ruminant fecundity. To completely explore the functions of MARCH1 in goat reproduction, the mRNA expression of this gene were investigated in different tissues of goats. Moreover, we analyzed the association of three insertions and deletions (indels) within MARCH1 with litter size in a large population of Shaanbei white cashmere goats (n = 2844). It showed that MARCH1 was expressed in all examined tissues, including the spleen, brain, lungs, liver, muscles, and testis, of 14- and 56-day-old male goats and in the ovary tissues of female goats. However, MARCH1 expression levels in the testis and lungs were significantly different between the 14- and 56-day-old male goats. Therefore, we examined MARCH1 expression levels in the testis of male goats belonging to different developmental age groups, i.e., 0-, 14-, 28-, 42-, and 56-day-old male goats. Our results indicated a potential association between MARCH1 expression and mitosis-to-meiosis transition. Furthermore, we identified three novel 7-, 15-, and 18-bp indels in MARCH1 in the Shaanbei white cashmere goat population. The presence of the three indels significantly affected MARCH1 expression in the testis and ovary. Statistical analyses indicated that these indels were associated with first-born litter size (P < 0.05). A significant difference was observed in the genotype distribution of the three indels between single- and multi-lamb female goats (P < 0.05). Together, these findings suggest that MARCH1 plays a crucial role in fertility and that the three novel indels in the goat MARCH1 can be used as effective molecular markers for marker-assisted selection of goats for breeding in the future.
膜相关环-CH型指蛋白1（MARCH1）介导CD86和MHC II类蛋白的泛素化，在反刍动物繁殖力中起关键作用。为全面探究MARCH1在山羊繁殖中的功能，研究了该基因在山羊不同组织中的mRNA表达。此外，在一大群陕北白绒山羊（n = 2844）中分析了MARCH1内三个插入缺失（indel）与产羔数的关联。结果显示，MARCH1在14日龄和56日龄雄性山羊的所有检测组织（包括脾脏、大脑、肺、肝脏、肌肉和睾丸）以及雌性山羊的卵巢组织中均有表达。然而，14日龄和56日龄雄性山羊睾丸和肺中的MARCH1表达水平存在显著差异。因此，检测了不同发育年龄组雄性山羊（即0日龄、14日龄、28日龄、42日龄和56日龄）睾丸中的MARCH1表达水平。结果表明MARCH1表达与有丝分裂向减数分裂转变之间可能存在关联。此外，在陕北白绒山羊群体的MARCH1中鉴定出三个新的7bp、15bp和18bp插入缺失。这三个插入缺失的存在显著影响睾丸和卵巢中MARCH1的表达。统计分析表明这些插入缺失与头胎产羔数相关（P < 0.05）。单羔和多羔雌性山羊之间这三个插入缺失的基因型分布存在显著差异（P < 0.05）。总之，这些发现表明MARCH1在生育力中起关键作用，山羊MARCH1中的三个新插入缺失可作为未来山羊标记辅助选择育种的有效分子标记。
