Akhtar Muhammad Farooq, Khan Rajwali, Suhail Syed Muhammad, Rehman Abdur, Ahmad Ijaz, Ahmad Iftikhar, Khan Farhan Anwar, Ahmad Faraz, Rehman Athar, Ayaz Muhammad, Khan Khalid, Ayari-Akkari Amel
Department of Livestock Management, Breeding and Genetics, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, 25130, Pakistan.
Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Peshawar, 25130, Pakistan.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2025 Jul 21;57(7):316. doi: 10.1007/s11250-025-04548-8.
In the present study, the effects of age and sex on the expression of meat quality marker genes such as the FASN (Fatty Acid Synthase), C/EBPα (CCAAT Enhancer Binding Protein Alpha), PLIN1 (Perilipin-1), PPARγ (Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma), and SIRT1 (Sirtuin1) were explored. The total RNA was extracted, the cDNA library was constructed, and mRNA was quantified through qRT-PCR from the samples of young and mature sheep of male and female Balkhi breeds. Moreover, the correlation of expression levels of these genes with body and measurement traits was also explored in Balkhi sheep. Age and sex significantly (P < 0.05) affected the expression of the FASN, C/EBPα, PLIN1, and SIRT1 genes. The expression of FASN and PLIN1 genes was higher (P < 0.05) in female Balkhi sheep, whereas the expression levels of SIRT1 and C/EBPα were higher (P < 0.05) in young male Balkhi sheep. The correlation study revealed the significant (P < 0.05) and positive effect of FASN, C/EBPα, and PPARγ on body measurements such as heart girth, body length, and body weight in young Balkhi sheep. At the same time, the SIRT1 gene correlated significantly (P < 0.05) and negatively with body length and height at the chest in mature male Balkhi sheep. This study revealed the importance and potential for genetic selection and breeding strategies by targeting these gene markers to improve meat production and quality in different age and sexes of the Balkhi sheep.
在本研究中，探讨了年龄和性别对肉质标记基因如脂肪酸合酶（FASN）、CCAAT增强子结合蛋白α（C/EBPα）、脂滴包被蛋白1（PLIN1）、过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体γ（PPARγ）和沉默调节蛋白1（SIRT1）表达的影响。从巴尔基品种的幼年和成年雄性及雌性绵羊样本中提取总RNA，构建cDNA文库，并通过qRT-PCR对mRNA进行定量。此外，还在巴尔基绵羊中探讨了这些基因表达水平与体尺性状的相关性。年龄和性别对FASN、C/EBPα、PLIN1和SIRT1基因的表达有显著影响（P < 0.05）。雌性巴尔基绵羊中FASN和PLIN1基因的表达较高（P < 0.05），而幼年雄性巴尔基绵羊中SIRT1和C/EBPα的表达水平较高（P < 0.05）。相关性研究表明，FASN、C/EBPα和PPARγ对幼年巴尔基绵羊的胸围、体长和体重等体尺有显著（P < 0.05）的正向影响。同时，SIRT1基因与成年雄性巴尔基绵羊的体长和胸高显著负相关（P < 0.05）。本研究揭示了通过靶向这些基因标记进行遗传选择和育种策略以提高不同年龄和性别的巴尔基绵羊产肉量和肉质的重要性和潜力。
