Wang Tongliang, Meng Jun, Peng Xuan, Huang Jinlong, Huang Yunjiang, Yuan Xinxin, Li Xueyan, Yang Xixi, Chang Xiaokang, Zeng Yaqi, Yao Xinkui
College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjinag, China.
Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Horse Breeding and Exercise Physiology, Urumqi, Xinjinag, China.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 14;20(7):e0322468. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322468. eCollection 2025.
Yili horses, a versatile breed from Xinjiang, China, are renowned for their racing abilities. However, studies on the links between cardiac morphology, function, and metabolic profiles with performance are limited. This study combined echocardiographic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses to explore these relationships in high-level, average, and untrained Yili horses. Echocardiographic assessments revealed increased left ventricular mass in trained horses, with significant differences in intraventricular septal thickness and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter. RNA sequencing identified 534 differentially expressed genes, 366 differentially expressed miRNAs, highlighting pathways in glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, oxygen transport (e.g., ALAS2), and ATP generation. Metabolomic analysis revealed variations in acylcarnitine and triglycerides, suggesting training-induced cardiac remodeling regulated by miRNAs. This integrated approach provides new insights into the molecular and metabolic factors influencing performance, offering a foundation for optimized training strategies for Yili horses.
伊犁马是一种来自中国新疆的多功能马种，以其赛跑能力而闻名。然而，关于心脏形态、功能和代谢谱与性能之间联系的研究有限。本研究结合超声心动图、转录组学和代谢组学分析，以探索高水平、中等水平和未经训练的伊犁马之间的这些关系。超声心动图评估显示，训练有素的马匹左心室质量增加，室间隔厚度和左心室舒张末期直径存在显著差异。RNA测序确定了534个差异表达基因、366个差异表达的miRNA，突出了甘氨酸、丝氨酸和苏氨酸代谢、氧运输（如ALAS2）和ATP生成中的途径。代谢组学分析揭示了酰基肉碱和甘油三酯的变化，表明训练诱导的心脏重塑受miRNA调节。这种综合方法为影响性能的分子和代谢因素提供了新的见解，为伊犁马优化训练策略提供了基础。
