Integrative multi-tissue transcriptomics reveals feeding and vitamin E effects in sheep

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Molecular Biology
• Nutrigenomics

Background:

• Sheep feeding systems significantly affect meat quality, animal health, and production efficiency.
• Grazing enhances sustainability and fatty acid profiles but limits productivity; concentrate feeding boosts efficiency but can cause oxidative stress.
• Vitamin E (VE), a potent antioxidant, may counteract these effects, yet multi-tissue molecular data are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the molecular underpinnings of different sheep feeding systems across multiple tissues.
• To evaluate the impact of Vitamin E (VE) supplementation on oxidative stress-related gene expression in sheep muscle.
• To identify cross-tissue co-regulated genes influenced by feeding practices.

Main Methods:

• Integrative transcriptomic analysis was performed on liver, muscle, and subcutaneous fat tissues.
• Experiment 1 compared grazing and confinement systems to identify feeding-related co-regulated genes (FW-CTRGs).
• Experiment 2 assessed VE supplementation effects on oxidative stress-related genes (VE-OSRGs) in muscle tissue.

Main Results:

• Nine FW-CTRGs were identified, indicating coordinated regulation of immune and stress pathways by feeding systems.
• Twelve VE-OSRGs were found in muscle, suggesting VE enhances antioxidant capacity.
• VE influences genes involved in tissue remodeling and stress response, including TGF-β signaling and extracellular matrix pathways, with key regulators like ANXA5, HMOX1, and BCL6.

Conclusions:

• This study offers a multi-tissue transcriptomic view of sheep feeding strategies.
• Vitamin E (VE) supplementation can improve sheep oxidative status via coordinated gene regulation.
• Findings provide insights for optimizing feeding strategies to enhance sheep meat quality and health.