Screening and Functional Transformation Analysis of Genes Related to Skeletal Muscle Development in Supplemental-Fed Oula Sheep

To investigate the gene regulatory mechanisms underlying muscle development in Oula sheep at different growth stages, under supplementary feeding, particularly the shift in core regulatory mechanisms governing muscle development from the fetal stage to the postnatal period, we conducted transcriptomic sequencing and comparative analysis of the longissimus dorsi muscle collected during the embryonic, lamb, and adult stages. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) potentially associated with muscle growth and development were identified across various age phases. Furthermore, Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis was employed to decipher the temporal expression patterns of these DEGs. The results indicated that metabolic processes related to carbohydrates, energy, and amino acids were enhanced with increasing age in Oula sheep muscle. Comparative analysis between different growth stages revealed that the functional enrichment of DEGs was directly associated with changes in skeletal muscle development, with significant enrichment in biological pathways such as ECM-receptor interaction, PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, and protein digestion and absorption. Additionally, we observed that PTPRC, IL10, NDUFAB1, BUB1, BUB1B, CDK1, ITGB3, and ITGB2 may play pivotal roles in the regulation of muscle growth and development across different stages in Oula sheep. These findings provide theoretical support for the understanding of the genetic regulatory mechanisms underlying muscle development in Oula sheep.