Tissue Resources for the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes.

Area of Science:

• Genomics and Bioinformatics
• Animal Science
• Comparative Biology

Background:

• Understanding genome expression is crucial for domestic animal improvement.
• The Functional Annotation of Animal Genome (FAANG) initiative aims to build a functional genomics resource.
• Standardized tissue collection across species is needed for comparative genomics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the collection of tissue samples for four domestic animal species (cattle, goat, pig, chicken) as part of the FAANG project.
• To describe the metadata, sampling protocols, and quality control measures for these reference sets.
• To establish a foundation for generating an atlas of functional elements driving genome expression.

Main Methods:

• Collection of diverse tissues from multiple animals across species, sexes, ages, and production stages.
• Detailed characterization of metadata for animals, samples, quality control, and storage.
• Establishment of standardized sampling protocols for different tissue types, categorized by collection difficulty and cell preparation.
• Implementation of RNA extraction and quality control for selected tissues.

Main Results:

• A total of 73 different tissues were collected, with 21 common across all four species.
• Over 5,000 samples were stored with unique identifiers, and more than 4,000 uploaded to the Biosamples database.
• Dedicated sampling protocols were developed and made available online.
• Initial quality control, including RNA extraction and assessment, was performed on various tissues.

Conclusions:

• The FAANG reference set provides a valuable resource for functional genomics in domestic animals.
• Standardized tissue collection and data sharing facilitate knowledge transfer and reduce animal experimentation.
• The collected samples are available for further molecular assays, promoting collaborative research under FAIR data principles.