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Liver Transcriptome Changes of Hyla Rabbit in Response to Chronic Heat Stress.
Zhou-Lin Wu1, Xue Yang2, Shi-Yi Chen1
1Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|December 19, 2019
Summary
Chronic heat stress significantly alters liver gene expression in rabbits, impacting lipid metabolism and amino acid processing. These findings identify key genes and pathways involved in rabbit heat stress responses.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Genomics
- Environmental Physiology
Background:
- Rabbits are economically significant in China and crucial animal models.
- Rabbits exhibit high sensitivity to environmental conditions, particularly heat.
- Understanding heat stress effects is vital for rabbit welfare and research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate liver transcriptome alterations in rabbits under chronic heat stress.
- To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and associated biological pathways.
- To validate key gene expression changes using quantitative real-time PCR.
Main Methods:
- Six Hyla rabbits were divided into heat stress (HS) and control (CN) groups.
- RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed on liver tissues.
- Gene expression levels were quantified, and DEGs were identified using specific statistical thresholds.
- Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was conducted to determine biological process associations.
Main Results:
- RNA-Seq generated 380 million clean reads, with 85.07% mapping to the reference genome.
- 51 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected between HS and CN groups (p < 0.05, |log2FC| > 1).
- 33 DEGs were upregulated and 18 were downregulated, primarily associated with lipid metabolism, thyroid hormone, and amino acid catabolism.
- Upregulated genes like ACACB, ACLY, LSS, and CYP7A1 are linked to metabolic pathways such as thioester and acetyl-CoA biosynthesis.
Conclusions:
- Chronic heat stress induces significant changes in the rabbit liver transcriptome.
- Key genes and biological processes involved in lipid and amino acid metabolism are implicated in the heat stress response.
- Identified genes and pathways offer potential targets for managing heat stress in rabbits.
