Wang Mengqi, Ibeagha-Awemu Eveline M
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Department of Animal Science, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada.
Front Genet. 2021 Feb 23;11:613636. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2020.613636. eCollection 2020.
The dynamic changes in the epigenome resulting from the intricate interactions of genetic and environmental factors play crucial roles in individual growth and development. Numerous studies in plants, rodents, and humans have provided evidence of the regulatory roles of epigenetic processes in health and disease. There is increasing pressure to increase livestock production in light of increasing food needs of an expanding human population and environment challenges, but there is limited related epigenetic data on livestock to complement genomic information and support advances in improvement breeding and health management. This review examines the recent discoveries on epigenetic processes due to DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling and their impacts on health and production traits in farm animals, including bovine, swine, sheep, goat, and poultry species. Most of the reports focused on epigenome profiling at the genome-wide or specific genic regions in response to developmental processes, environmental stressors, nutrition, and disease pathogens. The bulk of available data mainly characterized the epigenetic markers in tissues/organs or in relation to traits and detection of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying livestock phenotype diversity. However, available data is inadequate to support gainful exploitation of epigenetic processes for improved animal health and productivity management. Increased research effort, which is vital to elucidate how epigenetic mechanisms affect the health and productivity of livestock, is currently limited due to several factors including lack of adequate analytical tools. In this review, we (1) summarize available evidence of the impacts of epigenetic processes on livestock production and health traits, (2) discuss the application of epigenetics data in livestock production, and (3) present gaps in livestock epigenetics research. Knowledge of the epigenetic factors influencing livestock health and productivity is vital for the management and improvement of livestock productivity.
由遗传和环境因素的复杂相互作用所导致的表观基因组动态变化，在个体生长发育过程中发挥着关键作用。在植物、啮齿动物和人类中进行的大量研究，已为表观遗传过程在健康与疾病中的调控作用提供了证据。鉴于不断增长的人口对食物的需求以及环境挑战，提高畜牧产量的压力与日俱增，但有关家畜的表观遗传数据有限，难以补充基因组信息并支持改良育种和健康管理方面的进展。本综述考察了近期关于DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和染色质重塑所引发的表观遗传过程的发现，以及它们对包括牛、猪、羊、山羊和家禽等家畜健康和生产性状的影响。大多数报告聚焦于全基因组范围或特定基因区域的表观基因组分析，以应对发育过程、环境应激源、营养和疾病病原体。现有的大量数据主要对组织/器官中的表观遗传标记进行了表征，或针对性状以及家畜表型多样性背后的表观遗传调控机制进行了检测。然而，现有数据不足以支持对表观遗传过程进行有效利用，以改善动物健康和生产力管理。由于包括缺乏足够分析工具在内的多种因素，目前对于阐明表观遗传机制如何影响家畜健康和生产力至关重要的研究工作仍很有限。在本综述中，我们（1）总结表观遗传过程对家畜生产和健康性状影响的现有证据，（2）讨论表观遗传学数据在家畜生产中的应用，（3）呈现家畜表观遗传学研究中的空白。了解影响家畜健康和生产力的表观遗传因素，对于家畜生产力的管理和提高至关重要。
