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Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Between High- and Low-Growth-Rate Meat-Type Rabbits Reveals Key Pathways
Chao Yang1, Lingxi Zhu2, Li Tang1
1Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding in Sichuan Province, Sichuan Academy of Animal Science, Chengdu 611000, China.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|June 13, 2025
Summary
Comparing rabbit breeds reveals distinct muscle development pathways. Energy metabolism gene differences likely explain variations in muscle growth between fast-growing and slow-growing rabbits.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Genomics
- Muscle Biology
Background:
- Rabbit meat is a growing, high-protein, low-fat food source.
- Understanding muscle development in meat rabbits is economically important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify signaling pathways regulating muscle development in rabbits.
- To compare muscle growth patterns between fast-growing (Ju) and slow-growing (Ma) rabbit breeds.
Main Methods:
- Comparative body weight analysis of two rabbit breeds.
- Quantification of muscle fiber characteristics across developmental stages.
- Transcriptome analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs).
Main Results:
- Ju rabbits showed significantly higher body weight post-weaning, while Ma rabbits had larger muscle fibers at 56 days.
- Transcriptome analysis identified hundreds of DEGs in thigh and longissimus dorsi muscles.
- GO analysis revealed enrichment in muscle cell migration, structure development, and actin-related functions.
Conclusions:
- The HIF-1 signaling pathway and Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis are implicated in rabbit muscle development.
- Differential expression of energy metabolism genes may drive interbreed differences in muscle growth.
