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Updated: May 10, 2026
09:04
Transcriptome Profiling of In-Vivo Produced Bovine Pre-implantation Embryos Using Two-color Microarray Platform
Published on: January 30, 2017
Skin transcriptome profiles associated with coat color in sheep
Ruiwen Fan1, Jianshan Xie, Junming Bai
1College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China.
BMC Genomics
|June 14, 2013
Summary
This study identified novel genes involved in sheep coat color regulation by analyzing skin gene expression. Key genes related to melanogenesis were found to be differentially expressed between black and white sheep.
Area of Science:
- Animal Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Sheep Genomics
Background:
- Previous studies on sheep coat color genetics were limited in scope.
- Global gene expression analysis was needed to identify new regulatory genes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel genes regulating sheep coat color.
- To compare global gene expression profiles in black versus white sheep skin.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Illumina sequencing technology for transcriptome profiling.
- Analyzed gene expression in sheep skin samples of differing coat colors.
Main Results:
- Identified thousands of known and novel differentially expressed genes between black and white sheep skin.
- Found that genes involved in melanosome formation and keratin production were highly expressed.
- Discovered 13 known coat color genes with higher expression in black sheep skin, including DCT, MATP, TYR, and TYRP1.
Conclusions:
- The generated transcriptome data offers a valuable resource for understanding sheep skin physiology and melanogenesis.
- Provides a foundation for future research into the genetic networks controlling sheep coat color.
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