Abstract
Simple SummaryPDGF-D can be considered a candidate gene for selection for sheep tail type. This study investigated genetic variation of the PDGF-D gene in sheep with different tail types verified at a cellular level and revealed the molecular mechanism of PDGF-D in sheep tail fat deposition. We detected a total of two SNPs among 533 sheep. g.4122606 C > G site was significantly correlated with tail length, and g.3852134 C > T site was significantly correlated with tail width. In addition, overexpression of PDGF-D in sheep preadipocytes can promote adipogenic differentiation. The PDGF-D gene may participate in sheep tail fat deposition and could be used for molecular marker-assisted selection of sheep tail type.The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between the platelet-derived growth factor-D (PDGF-D) gene and sheep tail type character and explore the potential underlying mechanism. A total of 533 sheep were included in this study. Polymorphic sites were examined by Pool-seq, and individual genotype identification and correlation analysis between tail type data were conducted using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF-MS) method. JASPART website was used to predict transcription factor binding sites in the promoter region with and without PDGF-D gene mutation. The effect of PDGF-D on adipogenic differentiation of sheep preadipocytes was investigated. Two single nucleotide polymorphism sites were identified: g.4122606 C > G site was significantly correlated with tail length, and g.3852134 C > T site was significantly correlated with tail width. g.3852134 C > T was located in the promoter region. Six transcription factor binding sites were eliminated after promoter mutation, and three new transcription factor binding sites appeared. Expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and lipoproteinlipase (LPL) were significantly up-regulated upon PDGF-D overexpression. Oil red O staining showed increased small and large oil drops in the PDGF-D overexpression group. Together these results indicate the PDGF-D gene is an important gene controlling sheep tail shape and regulating sheep tail fat deposition to a certain degree.
Highlights
Current studies have indicated that fat-tailed sheep developed from thin-tailed sheep [1]
After long-term artificial and natural selective breeding for different morphologies of ovine tails, sheep tails can be classified into five types: short-fat tail, long-fat tail, short-thin tail, long-thin tail, and fat-rumped breeds [6]
We examined a group of sheep comprising 208 Hu sheep, 171 Tibetan sheep, and 154 hybrid sheep (Dorper × Hu) as the research objects
Summary
Current studies have indicated that fat-tailed sheep developed from thin-tailed sheep [1]. The fat tail was believed to serve as an important energy reserve to adapt to harsh conditions, such as dry seasons, extreme cold winters, and food shortage [2,3,4,5]. With the improvement of human living standards, the feeding conditions improved and dietary habits changed, thereby reducing the dependency on the fat tail as an energy reserve [3]. Fat-tailed sheep started to show low rates of reproduction and increased feed cost. Identifying the key genes that control lipid metabolism in sheep tail could increase economic benefit in livestock and provide useful information for research into fat deposition and energy storage in obesity
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