Liu Dehui, Li Xue, Wang Lei, Pei Quanbang, Zhao Jincai, Sun De, Ren Qianben, Han Buying, Jiang Hanjing, Zhang Wenkui, Li Rong, Bao Guoxiang, Wang Song, Tian Fei, Liu Sijia, Zhao Kai, Tian Dehong
Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 23 Xining Road, Xining, Qinghai, 810001, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
BMC Genomics. 2025 May 29;26(1):543. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11738-z.
Tibetan sheep represent valuable genetic resources on the Tibetan Plateau, and their body size and carcass traits serve as crucial foundations for breeding program development and breeding effects evaluation. The study of body size and carcass characteristics of Tibetan sheep helps to understand their process of genetic regulation.
The body size traits, carcass traits, and muscle fiber structure of plateau-type Tibetan and Zhashijia sheep were compared. Zhashijia ewes displayed considerably higher carcass weight and body size than plateau-type ewes. Additionally, it was observed that Zhashijia rams exhibited significantly greater eye muscle area, chest width, and muscle fiber perimeter in comparison to plateau-type rams. And Glycogen staining results showed that the glycogen content of the plateau-type Tibetan sheep was significantly higher than that of the Zhashijia sheep. Through transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, we identified 366 genes that showed differential expression in the ram group and 248 proteins with differential expression. In the ewe group, we found 623 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 624 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Among these, eleven genes and fourteen proteins were associated with body size and carcass quality. These genes and proteins showed significant enrichment in the PPAR signaling pathway and protein digestion and absorption. Furthermore, employing weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) allowed us to identify twelve genes that are pivotal in regulating body size and carcass. Finally, RT-qPCR validation confirmed the reliability of our RNA-Seq results.
The findings of this study contribute to a deeper comprehension of the morphological characteristics and carcass traits of Tibetan sheep, thereby establishing a robust scientific basis for the selective breeding of novel sheep breeds with enhanced growth performance and superior meat production capacity.
藏羊是青藏高原宝贵的遗传资源，其体尺和胴体性状是育种计划制定和育种效果评估的重要基础。对藏羊体尺和胴体特征的研究有助于了解其遗传调控过程。
比较了高原型藏羊和扎什加羊的体尺性状、胴体性状和肌纤维结构。扎什加母羊的胴体重和体尺显著高于高原型母羊。此外，观察到扎什加公羊的眼肌面积、胸宽和肌纤维周长显著大于高原型公羊。糖原染色结果表明，高原型藏羊的糖原含量显著高于扎什加羊。通过转录组和蛋白质组分析，我们在公羊组中鉴定出366个差异表达基因和248个差异表达蛋白质。在母羊组中，我们发现了623个差异表达基因（DEGs）和624个差异表达蛋白质（DEPs）。其中，11个基因和14个蛋白质与体尺和胴体品质相关。这些基因和蛋白质在PPAR信号通路以及蛋白质消化和吸收方面表现出显著富集。此外，采用加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA）使我们能够鉴定出12个在调节体尺和胴体方面起关键作用的基因。最后，RT-qPCR验证证实了我们RNA-Seq结果的可靠性。
本研究结果有助于更深入地理解藏羊的形态特征和胴体性状，从而为选育生长性能增强和产肉能力优异的新型绵羊品种奠定坚实的科学基础。
