Transcriptome Atlas of 16 Donkey Tissues

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Livestock Science
• Comparative Transcriptomics

Background:

• Donkeys (Equus asinus) are economically important livestock, but their genetic potential is underutilized due to limited transcriptomic data.
• Understanding tissue-specific gene expression is crucial for selective breeding, conservation, and exploiting donkey products like meat, skin, and milk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively map the donkey transcriptome across various tissues.
• To classify gene expression patterns, identifying ubiquitously expressed and tissue-enriched genes.
• To analyze tissue-specific genes for unique donkey phenotypes and milk composition.

Main Methods:

• Transcriptomic analysis of multiple donkey tissues.
• Gene expression profiling and classification (ubiquitous vs. tissue-enriched).
• Functional enrichment analysis of tissue-specific genes.
• Proteomic analysis of donkey milk samples.

Main Results:

• 16,013 protein-coding genes and 21,983 transcripts were identified.
• 6,778 genes were ubiquitously expressed, and 2,601 were tissue-enriched.
• Donkey breast tissue showed specific high expression of the lysozyme gene, correlating with high calcium-binding lysozyme in milk.
• Donkey milk proteins showed a 71% overlap with human milk proteins.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a valuable donkey transcriptomic resource for genetic improvement and conservation efforts.
• High lysozyme gene expression in donkey breast may explain the high lysozyme content in donkey milk.
• Donkey milk composition shares significant similarities with human milk, suggesting potential nutritional or therapeutic applications.